MP launches survey looking into Vale curb side collection

At the beginning of July, the Vale of Glamorgan Council introduced three-week black bin collections and a subscription service to green waste collection.

A standard subscription service of £36 per year per household for up to four green waste bags was introduced, with an enhanced service option of £54 per year per household for up to eight bags per collection.

There was also an additional capacity option of 50p per bag – which can be booked online.

It was initially estimated 10,000 households (20 per cent) would subscribe to the new scheme when it started, generating an income per annum of £360,000 for the council.

However, only one in six households in the Vale signed up three weeks after its launch.

Vale Council defended the change, saying it reduced resources required to collect green waste, which would have a positive environmental impact having less vehicles on the road.

They also said the new charge was cheaper than other councils across Wales who introduced the same scheme. The most expensive was Carmarthenshire at £52 for a 240 litre wheeled bin. The Welsh average was £38.99.

On the new green waste service, a council spokesperson said: “The council hoped the service would help meet a savings target of £500,000 per year.

“(The scheme) would provide additional revenue that’s needed to run the service without drawing on the council’s main revenue budget, which comes from council tax and other sources.

“Not all properties have gardens that produce garden waste so the service is now paid for by those that use it.

"This means the council’s main revenue budget can be allocated to services that are relied upon by all residents.”

You now have to pay for green waste in the Vale (Image: Newsquest)

On black bags, the decision was made to move to three-week collections.

This was partly decided after it was found some households were not recycling in any capacity.

In 2022, a national waste compositional analysis in Wales indicated black bag waste still contains recyclable materials.

The highest offender was food waste at 14.52 per cent.

Food waste is the biggest problem in black bin bags (Image: Vale of Glamorgan Council)

Will incidents of fly-tipping increase? (Image: Social media)

Having strongly opposed the changes, Vale MP Alun Cairns is now seeking views on the waste collection changes.

According to Mr Cairns, the new policies have faced backlash from local residents.

“Our Labour council’s decision to make these bin collection changes is a slap in the face for residents across the Vale, who are now also paying an increased rate of council tax well above the rate of inflation,” he said.

“I have been in touch with residents across the area who as a result are faced with overflowing bins, unclean living areas, increased numbers of pests and fly-tipping in rural areas. This is unacceptable.”

Having received over 300 responses so far, the Vale MP is urging residents to fill out the survey.

You can find it, here.