A Cut to Waste Service Set To Begin For RCT Residents

From October 1, 2024, residents of Rhondda Cynon Taf (RCT) County Borough will face an additional burden as the Council will no longer provide wheelie bins for non-recyclable waste. Instead, households will now be required to supply their own black bags for waste disposal, which adds another cost to residents already dealing with high living expenses.

The Council claims this move is part of an initiative to increase recycling rates. However, it’s clear that a significant portion of the waste that goes into recycling bags cannot actually be recycled. This decision appears to be yet another cost-cutting measure by a council that is continually strapped for cash—though it seemingly finds funds for vanity projects that are outside of its core remit.

It’s worth noting that RCT Council was established in 1996, and residents in Rhondda should have had standardized waste collections in line with those of Cynon Valley and Taff-Ely from the beginning was that a decision by Rhondda councillors?

In fact, a few years ago, a Council provided 106,000 140-litre wheelie bins to replace the existing 240-litre bins for non-recyclable waste, a move that was seen as both safer for residents and better for manual handling by council employees.

By removing these wheelie bins, the Council is exposing both residents and workers to potential health and safety risks. Manual handling tasks, such as carrying heavy waste bags, could lead to back injuries, including strains, slipped discs, sciatica, and, in extreme cases, broken bones. All of this could have been avoided by keeping the wheelie bins in place.

This decision will undoubtedly fuel further criticism of the Council’s management of public services, particularly at a time when residents feel the pressure of continuous cuts, all while funding is seemingly available for non-essential projects.

Waste collections across Cynon and Taf will shortly be standardised alongside those that have been in place across the Rhondda for over 30 years.

In a bid to increase recycling rates to meet the Welsh Governments’ 70% target by 2024/25 and to remove bins off footways between collections, Rhondda Cynon Taf Council will only collect black bags from the kerbside, starting from Monday 30th September.

This means that residents will need to place their general waste out for collection in a maximum of THREE standard size (up to approximately 70L) Black Bags ONLY (as per current allowance), EVERY THREE WEEKS starting from week commencing MONDAY 30th SEPTEMBER 2024.

Residents can keep and use their wheelie bins for storage until collection, but on collection day, only black bags should be presented at the normal collection point, on the same collection day, time, which is usually at the kerbside.

Following the change to three-weekly collections in July 2023 it had become clear that there is a significant difference between those areas where wheeled bins are collected (Cynon and Taf) and those where black bags are collected directly from the kerbside (Rhondda) – with Rhondda residents recycling over 20% more* and putting out around 30% less* black bag waste.

The standardisation will now ensure that:

Recycling rates improve across the whole of RCT so that we hit the 70% Welsh Government Target and avoid substantial fines.

The Council can use its waste collection fleet more efficiently by having standardised vehicles across RCT, including the use of other smaller vehicles to collect black bags if larger collection lorries are not able to access a street due to parked cars.

Residents and visitors will benefit from an improved streetscape, by removing the bins as obstructions in between collection dates from pavements.

Residents will not have to wheel or carry wheelie bins through their homes or up and down garden steps.

There are reduced costs by having a standardised collection fleet across RCT

There is an improved efficiency of waste collection services for our residents.

ALL recycling collections, including food waste, green waste* and purple bags will continue to be collected weekly and the Council is urging residents to use all of these weekly services to ensure that they are recycling as much as they can and to reduce the amount of black bag waste that is created. Over 80% of all household waste should be collected weekly if recycled.

Director of Highways, Streetcare and Transportation Services, said:

“The standardisation of waste collections for all residents of Rhondda Cynon Taf, will ensure that ALL residents have the same waste limits and remove the discrepancy that many residents felt unfairly advantaged or disadvantaged by over the years.

The introduction of Black Bag Collections across the County Borough will come with a range of potential benefits, including an improved streetscape with fewer obstructions to the footway between collection dates, increased recycling rates and a more efficient waste service along with improved utilisation of the waste fleet and less impact on residents that have no option at present other than to bring their bins through their properties or up and down garden steps, etc., as bins should not be kept on the footway 24/7.  

It is estimated that less than 20% of household waste should be placed into your black bags – these are non-recyclable items and include coal ash, animal waste, plastic film, tissues, foil, etc”

More information on the standardisation of waste collection – Bins to bags- can be found at www.rctcbc.gov.uk/BinstoBagsCollections.