Vale Council reviewing litter bins service to improve recycling and reduce fly-tipping
The Vale of Glamorgan Council has commenced a review of its litter bins in a bid to increase recycling levels and reduce fly tipping.
There are 915 litter bins in the Vale of Glamorgan which are emptied and sorted for recycling each week. The amount of waste collected from these varies greatly.
The Vale of Glamorgan Council has one of the best recycling rates in Europe. Nearly all household and commercial waste in the county is now separated at source. The Council, however, has set itself an ambitious target of increasing these rates further as part of its Project Zero climate change strategy.
The review will seek to assess the current provision of bins across the Vale, identify those areas where there is the greatest need, pinpoint areas where separated recycling bins could increase recycling rates further, and highlight those bins that are being misused or attracting fly-tipping.
Cllr Mark Wilson, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhood Services, said: “The scale of our street cleansing and litter collection service is huge.
“However, we know our residents still have concerns about the cleanliness of some areas, especially our town centres and resorts. Our placemaking and participation teams were speaking to residents throughout the summer.
Litter was a recurring theme and one we want to respond to this
“We also need to factor in how we can enable more recycling to hit our ambitious target for a waste free Vale.
“Just as importantly, we need to review what we do to ensure that our money is being spent wisely.
“Earlier this year we trialled using large temporary bins in some hotspots and this was very effective. As well as putting in place some permanent solutions of this kind we also want to take the opportunity make sure our bins are in the right places and being emptied at the rights times.
“We also see bags of domestic waste being dumped either in or next to street litter bins in residential areas. This is fly-tipping and with so many options available for residents to recycle and dispose of their waste responsibly it is something for which there really is no excuse.
“All of this is the in the scope of our review and we hope to be able to launch an improved and more efficient service soon.”
A number of new multi-section recycling bins have been installed at high football locations in recent months and their usage is also being analysed as part of the review, with a view to increasing these in future.
The in-house review of bin provision is already underway and the Council will present a plan for a more efficient service later this year.
Placing household waste in street litter bins is illegal and placing such litter alongside litter bins is fly tipping. Incidents can be reported to the Council online at www.valeofglamorgan.gov.uk