A pilot scheme to help residents recycle even more of their household waste is being launched in Swansea
Swansea Council is trialling a new kerbside recycling scheme, which will see soft plastic items such as crisp packets, plastic food wrapping and plastic carrier bags collected from homes as part household waste collections.
Currently, if residents want to recycle soft plastic items, their only option is to take them to their local supermarket, where recycling facilities are generally provided.
The trial in Swansea will take place across 15 communities that have their household waste collected on a Tuesday and a Wednesday and includes around 20,000 homes. The trial will take place between April and December.
In Swansea, residents already recycle around 70% of their household waste. Surveys have also shown that a large proportion of black bag waste is made up of soft plastic items.
During the next few weeks, residents in trial areas will be provided with a supply of blue recycling sacks, along with an information leaflet explaining all about the trial.
Cyril Anderson, Cabinet Member for Community, said: “Swansea is currently performing very well in terms of recycling, with the majority of residents making use of all the kerbside recycling services, as well as putting out limited numbers of black bags.
“We know there’s an appetite for residents to recycle more of their household waste, particularly soft plastic items like carrier bags – which currently get put in black bag waste.
“The trial will allow the council to understand how plastic bags and wrapping can be included in existing kerbside recycling collections in the future.
“Households included in trial areas will get a delivery of blue coloured bags and information about the scheme.
“We have organised the trial so that all different types of accommodation are included, such as terraced streets and housing developments. This will give us a better understanding of the issues which arise from the trial in terms of collections.
“Ideally, our aim is for households to have the opportunity to reduce their black bag waste even further and boost our overall recycling rate.”
