Powys faces fine unless recycling figures improve

By Elgan Hearn, Local Democracy Reporter

Powys County Council could face a fine from the Welsh Government after its recycling rate dropped well below the legally required 70% target.

The council's recycling performance fell to just 65.7% between April and June this year, raising concerns among councillors about the financial consequences of failing to meet national targets.

Under Welsh Government rules introduced in 2024/25, councils are expected to recycle at least 70% of their waste, with potential penalties of £200 for every tonne they fall short.

Powys was among just 12 of Wales' 22 local authorities to achieve the target in 2024/25, but its latest figures suggest that performance has taken a significant downturn.

The issue was raised at this week's Economy, Residents and Communities Scrutiny Committee meeting, where councillors examined the authority's performance against targets set out in its Corporate and Strategic Equality Plan.

Committee chair Cllr Angela Davies (Liberal Democrat – Rhayader) questioned why recycling rates had slipped, while Cllr Pete Lewington (Conservative – Newtown West) warned about the potential financial impact.

“We get a fine if we don't hit the target and I think it's quite a hefty one," he said. "What are we doing to put it right?”

Cabinet Member for Legal and Regulatory Services, Cllr Richard Church (Liberal Democrat – Welshpool Castle), explained that changes to how certain waste materials are classified had contributed to the decline.

He also pointed to reduced garden waste collections following the prolonged dry weather over the summer.

However, Cllr Church stressed that financial penalties were not necessarily automatic and would depend on the circumstances surrounding any failure to meet the target.

Council Information and Systems Manager Curtis Ross told councillors that recycling performance was already showing signs of improvement during the second quarter.

He explained that several factors outside the council's direct control had affected the figures, including changes to the way wood waste recycling is calculated.

Previously, the council had been assured by recycling contractors that around 90% of collected wood waste was being recovered.

But following a review by Natural Resources Wales (NRW), those figures have been dramatically revised.

"We reported these figures in good faith," Mr Ross explained.

"NRW are now prescribing figures for us to use and from 90% last year we've dropped down to 23%, which is a huge deficit."

He said the change alone had knocked two percentage points off Powys' overall recycling performance, meaning the first-quarter figure would otherwise have been 67.7%.

Mr Ross added that NRW had identified similar issues across Wales after examining returns from waste processing facilities, including those in England.

Another factor was a reduction in the collection of waste from roadside gullies, which is partly dependent on Welsh Government funding for work on trunk roads.

Collections had fallen by 20% by the end of September, although Mr Ross suggested that additional winter funding and increased highways activity could help close the gap.

"A lot of material impacts are outside our control," he told the committee.

Despite the challenges, the council is taking steps to boost recycling rates and avoid potential penalties.

Mr Ross confirmed that the council's waste awareness and enforcement team had been doubled in size, while a new campaign encouraging residents to recycle more food waste is also planned.

Councillors were told that recycling performance had started to recover during the second quarter, although the authority still faces pressure to reach the 70% threshold.

The committee's comments and recommendations will now be passed to the council's Cabinet for consideration.