Clwyd West AM Darren Millar has raised concerns regarding Conwy County Council’s plans to reduce the frequency of bin collections with the First Minister in the Senedd.
Darren, who has set up a petition and Facebook Page in protest against the Council’s consideration of proposals to reduce collections from fortnightly to once every three or four weeks, told the First Minister that residents view the plans as unacceptable and asked what action the Welsh Government is taking to ensure that there is appropriate guidance to local authorities regarding these matters.
He said:
“First Minister, do you agree with me that one problem that many tourists often cite as a reason for not going back to an area is litter on the streets? Are you therefore concerned that Conwy County Borough Council are considering changing the frequency of their general refuse collections from fortnightly intervals to either three or four-weekly intervals? Many residents have raised this concern with me. They believe that it’s unacceptable for general refuse to be collected less frequently than fortnightly, particularly for young families with children in nappies, those who dispose of dog mess, sanitary products, and other such waste.
“What action will your Government take to ensure that there’s appropriate guidance to local authorities regarding these matters?”
The First Minister said local authorities must make the decision based on the recycling targets that they are asked to meet and the risk of fly-tipping.
He said: “The reality is that unless we see more recycling, there will be more of a demand for energy-from-waste plants are controversial in many parts of Wales. So, we do want to encourage recycling.”
Darren added:
“Whilst I agree we must do everything we can to promote recycling, reducing refuse collections is actually likely to be counter-productive as a result of extra costs associated with cleaning up fly-tipping and litter, and dealing with hundreds of extra complaints from angry residents whose services are being cut while council taxes continue to rise.
“We must safeguard our fortnightly collections and ensure our streets are kept clean. Everybody wants and deserves to live somewhere they can feel proud of.”
To support Darren’s campaign like his Facebook Page ‘Save Our Bin Collections’ which can be reached at Facebook.com/saveourbincollections