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Response by the Cabinet Member: The Council has the authority to enforce the separation of materials by residents at the kerbside under Section 46 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. This is utilised already through our collection crews not collecting unsorted recycling and leaving side waste. They will leave either a contamination card or sticker the side waste, so that residents are clear as to why this action has been taken. The reason that we do this is to ensure that residents fully utilise the weekly recycling service, so that they can manage with the three weekly collection of residual waste. Whilst this is clearly of benefit in terms of environmental impact, it will also help the Council to reach the Welsh Government’s Statutory Recycling Targets and prevent significant fines of £100k for each percentage point below the target. Diverting material from the residual bin to the weekly recycling service reduces our disposal costs, as sending waste to an Energy from Waste plant is significantly more expensive than sending it for recycling where an income can even be achieved for some of the materials collected. This money can then be used for other Council services rather than literally going up in smoke in an incinerator. As you will be aware we do provide additional residual capacity to larger households, where there are two or more children in nappies or there are special medical needs. These are, however, subject to a visit to ensure that again the weekly recycling service is being fully utilised. Our officers are very good at supporting our residents who needs extra space in the residual waste bin. Our Awareness and Enforcement Team work with individuals and communities to increase recycling and improve the local environment. As part of the recently agreed Sustainable Resource Strategy and with the support of the Extended Producers Responsibility fund this team will be expanded so that we can spend more time helping residents to recycle more of their waste. The focus of this work is on education and awareness, rather than enforcement which would only be used in exceptional circumstances. Most residents in Powys use the services we provide correctly and this is shown by the high recycling rates that we achieve. There are, however, some who consistently fail to recycle their waste and it is these residents that we need to focus on. To put this into context, a recent compositional analysis by WRAP has shown that 45% of what is put in the wheeled bins and purple sacks could be recycled. There will be no financial impact on residents, in fact the opposite should be true. Studies by WRAP have shown the average household throws away over £750 worth of food each year. By using the weekly food waste collections, this is much more obvious to residents who will often change their purchasing habits. With the cost-of-living crisis and increasing prices for the weekly shop, recycling (and re-use) really can make a difference to how much we all spend. Here in Powys, we have been following the Welsh Government’s ‘blueprint’ collection method for over 10 years. We have a weekly collection of glass, cans and plastics, paper and card, and of course food waste. We then collect what is left every three weeks in wheeled bins and purple sacks. This has been embraced by most residents which demonstrates that it is accessible and straightforward. Where residents do have problems, we are here to help with our Awareness Team. There is also a wealth of information on our website which we would encourage residents to visit. Bins, Rubbish and Recycling - Powys County Council Whilst Councils do have a statutory responsibility to collect waste and recycling, it is important that everyone takes responsibility for their own waste that they produce. If all residents recycle all that they can, they can save money themselves as well as for the Council, and help conserve our environment for future generations.
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