BLACK bin bags could be collected every four weeks from people’s homes in Carmarthenshire as part of further changes to the kerbside collection system.
Black bags were collected every two weeks until last year when it reduced to three weeks along with more recycling options. This change has led to recycling and composting rates increasing to just over 70 per cent but the Welsh Government wants less waste sent to landfill or for incineration and more of it recycled.
A report going before the council’s cabinet said analysis of back bag waste continued to find that a sizeable proportion of it, such as food waste, could be recycled, and that the current system would not meet an anticipated 80 per cent recycling target by 2030.
“The move to a four-weekly collection is a necessity to encourage residents to prioritise recycling and waste reduction practices,” said the report.
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A four-weekly black bag collection would not come into force before June 2026 and would be part of a significant reorganisation of the service. Other potential changes include nine new electric lorries, a centralised waste depot at Nantycaws and a four-day working week for waste collection staff.
The cabinet report said the changes had been earmarked for autumn 2025 but that this had slipped by nearly a year because of how long it was taking to order and take receipt of electric refuse lorries. Delaying it any further, it said, could risk £15.5 million of Welsh Government funding for the service overhaul. The project would also need a council contribution of £9.9 million, but would be expected to cost nearly £2.5 million less per year to operate than the current collection system as well as being more environmentally-friendly.
Trade unions and waste collection staff have been appraised of the proposals, with a majority of staff supporting a four-day working week. But concerns were raised about a centralised depot and increased travel distance and costs. The cabinet report said waste chiefs would continue to meet trade unions regularly if the depot is centralised. Cabinet is due to make a decision on the proposals on Monday, 29 July.