In a recent blunder, council workers in Wales have been accused of mixing food waste with carefully separated recycling materials. Denbighshire Council introduced a new recycling system requiring residents to wash and separate recyclables before collection. However, reports and videos online show workers combining different types of waste during collection, including throwing food waste on top of cleaned recyclables.
The transition to the new recycling scheme has faced challenges, with the council’s budget exceeding by £50-60K weekly. At a recent council meeting, there was a controversial vote aimed at the leadership, with Plaid Cymru and Labour councillors maintaining the current coalition. The Independent Party raised concerns about the systemic issues highlighted in the video, showing mixed recycling and food waste, stating that the recycling programme is not functioning as intended.
Cllr Huw Hilditch-Roberts of the Independent Party expressed worries about the impact on other waste services, emphasizing the need for proper waste separation. Denbighshire County Council responded that the issue in the video had been addressed, attributing it to training and miscommunication. They clarified that co-mingled collections were kept separate from food or residual waste, and steps were being taken to avoid such mixing in the future.
The council explained that co-mingling was a temporary solution due to vehicle availability issues, with a split cage system allowing for separation of food waste from dry recycling. They acknowledged the mistake of adding food waste to dry recycling and stated that re-education was underway. Discussions are ongoing to address the challenges and ensure the proper handling of recyclable materials in Denbighshire.