Monthly bin collections could be on the way

Dramatic new recycling policies could see black bins move to a monthly collection, reduced in size and fines for those who refuse to recycle.

Following a 12-week public engagement exercise, the Powys Sustainable Resource Strategy (2025-2030) has been finalised and will be discussed by the council’s scrutiny committee next Wednesday.

The council wants to make Powys one of the world’s best for recycling by surpassing the Welsh Government’s 70% target, but it will rely on the support of the tax payer who will be subjected to a number of changes.

In the draft plan available on the Powys County Council web site, there are positive proposals including the potential for more items like small electricals, textiles, small batteries, and flexible plastics (i.e. plastic bags, wrappings etc) to be collected in the weekly recycling.

But there are also two proposals that will undoubtedly anger many households including the proposal to “explore options to reduce the frequency or capacity of household residual waste, to encourage greater use of the weekly kerbside recycling service. When making any changes to the collection of residual waste, we will continue to support households that have and will continue to need additional capacity”.

It also states: “We will consider introducing an enforcement policy for residents who consistently refuse to recycle their waste at the kerbside, where other methods of encouraging recycling have not proved effective.”

Currently, black bins are collected every three weeks, with recycling bins done weekly.

The Council states that the “five main key aims of the strategy” are: 

• Reduce, Reuse, Repair: Prevent waste generation, extend product lifespans, and promote a circular economy.
• Recycling: Achieve and exceed the Welsh Government’s 70% statutory recycling target.
• Household Recycling Centres (HRCs): Increase recycling and reuse rates at HRCs.
• Awareness and Enforcement: Improve how waste is managed and reduce illegal activities like fly-tipping.
• Infrastructure: Develop and maintain infrastructure to support increased recycling and decarbonisation.

Why the Council has carried out the review

“When developing strategies, it is important to involve our stakeholders in the process,” explained Cllr Jackie Charlton, Cabinet Member for a Greener Powys. “We ran a 12-week public engagement exercise to seek the views of our residents, members, partner organisations and Powys workplaces on the draft strategy.

“The responses we received have been really informative and we would like to thank all those that took the time to get involved and talk to us during the engagement process.

“We have incorporated the feedback into the final, comprehensive strategy, which sets out our aims for enabling residents, Powys workplaces, and the wider community to reduce their impact on the local environment, lower their carbon footprint and help Powys move towards a sustainable circular economy with the aim of preserving our natural world.

“By carrying out the actions within the strategy, we want to work together with the everyone in Powys to reduce waste, promote reuse and repair, increase recycling. In doing so, we will continue to keep the views of our communities in mind when making future decisions on service provision across Powys.

“Together we will reduce our environmental impact, lower our carbon footprint, move towards a sustainable circular economy where resources are valued and not discarded, and ensure a greener future for all.”

What’s next?

The final version of the Powys Sustainable Resource Strategy will be taken to the Powys County Council’s Cabinet Meeting for approval following Wednesday’s scrutiny committee meeting.