A Welsh council has found itself in a financial predicament after overspending by £640,000 due to problems with a new recycling scheme implementation. Denbighshire Council’s new Trolibocs system rollout in early June led to numerous missed collections, prompting the council to resort to “co-mingling” waste – mixing already separated recycling – to cope with the situation. The overspend covered costs for additional staff, overtime, and extra vehicles.
To address the issue, the council received a £1.2m one-off payment from the North Wales Waste Treatment Partnership. £1.067m of this funding is earmarked to rectify the recycling scheme problems, reducing the need for temporary measures in the future. Plans are underway to introduce additional collection rounds post a special council meeting next week, with the aim of stabilising the service and curbing current expenditure.
Council leader Cllr Jason McLellan acknowledged the scheme’s shortcomings, initiating a member-led review to identify the root causes of the failures. Cllr Barry Mellor, responsible for recycling, highlighted the necessity of allocating more resources to address collection deficits efficiently. A proposal to allocate additional resources is set to be tabled at the upcoming cabinet meeting on October 1, aiming for a sustainable fix.
Chief Executive Graham Boase highlighted the review’s importance in understanding the scheme’s failure reasons. The public has been urged not to film bin men following social media videos showing improper recycling practices during collections. Denbighshire Council emphasised the need for formal reporting channels instead of social media for addressing concerns.
The issue will be deliberated further at the forthcoming cabinet meeting to find solutions for the recycling scheme’s operational challenges. Despite the setbacks, the council is committed to rectifying the situation and ensuring the effectiveness and sustainability of the recycling service for residents.