Vale Council to introduce new on-street recycling bins following review of litter bin provision
The Vale of Glamorgan Council has begun installing new on-street recycling bins following a review of its street cleansing and litter collection operations.
The new on-street recycling bins have either three or four separate compartments for litter, making it easier for residents and visitors to the Vale’s parks and resorts to recycle their rubbish.
They will be installed at 24 locations over the coming months. These will include coastal locations such as Penarth seafront and clifftop, Barry Island, the Knap, Ogmore and Southerndown beaches. As well as in each of the Vale’s four town centres and Cosmeston and Porthkerry country parks.
In November the Council announced it was undertaking a review of the usage and location of its street bins in response to feedback from residents.
It is also hoped the move will help the misuse of bins, which have persistently used for fly-tipping in some residential areas.
Red bags of waste filled by Keep Wales Tidy volunteers placed near bins will be collected as normal.
Alongside the introduction of the new separated recycling bins a large number of older mixed waste rubbish bins are being removed.
These are those that were found to be either being under-utilised or attracting fly-tipping.
Cllr Mark Wilson, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhood Services, said: “The introduction of the new separated recycling bins will make it easier than ever for visitors to our busiest locations to recycle their waste.
“When we hosted our climate conversation earlier this year one of the most common issues raised by young people was that they can recycle at home, at school, but often not in our parks or resorts. This tallied with feedback we received over the summer from residents about limited options in some public spaces and a general perception that more was needed to keep our town centres and other locations clean and tidy.
“We heard this loud and clear and reviewed our services to see what action could be taken in response.
“Removing some older bins alongside introducing new ones means we can improve options for recycling in the Vale while also making our services more efficient and cost effective – a vital consideration at a time when the financial pressures on the Council are immense.
“Our new bins are in the areas they are most needed. Litter bins are primarily for visitors to an area and therefore we are concentrating them in our town centres and resorts.
“We’ve been careful when identifying older bins for removal to make sure that all communities are still well served and able to responsibly dispose of their litter.
“We are also seeking to tackle the issue of fly-tipping in residential areas by removing bins that were being abused by a small minority. We believe that by doing so we will remove the temptation to dispose of waste in public places rather than sorting it responsibly at home like most residents.
“We very much value and appreciate the support of Keep Wales Tidy volunteers, who regularly give up their time to clean up litter, helping to improve the appearance of our County.
“The bags they fill will continued to be collected from near bins as they have been previously.”