TWO areas of Cardiff have been hit with a recycling bag shortage.
Cardiff Council confirmed at least two of its hubs, Canton Library and Cardiff Central Library, have been affected by green recycling bag shortages this week.
There is also a shortage at Chapter Arts Centre.
The local authority said the supply of bags has been affected by issues with shipping, adding that stocks will be replenished by the end of the week.
A Cardiff Council spokesperson said: “In the areas where we still supply green bags, they will be replenished by the end of the week.
“There are some global issues with shipping at the moment, but… in areas where the sack sort has been rolled out, there is no need for them to be stocked.”
Cardiff Council started introducing the ‘sack-sort’ separated recycling method, which involves residents separating their waste into different sacks and boxes at home before collection, in 2022 as part of a trial.
The final phase of the rollout for houses began on Monday, January 20, extending the scheme to 36,400 homes in Butetown, Canton, Creigiau, Cyncoed, Fairwater, Llanishen, Llanrumney, Old St Mellons and Riverside.
Residents in affected areas who do not live in purpose-built flats will start receiving their new recycling containers, with the first collections scheduled to begin on Tuesday, March 4.
A new bespoke scheme for purpose-built flats will follow, but further information won’t be provided until later in the year.
For the time being, many residents still use the mixed recycling scheme which involves putting plastics, metal and paper into the same green bag for collection.
When asked if any other hubs were affected by the bag shortages, a Cardiff Council spokesperson added: “I am not aware of any stockist other than the ones… highlighted.
“The stock has been dispatched today and we aim to restock all appropriate stockists by the end of the week.”
The new sack-sort recycling scheme has been criticised by some residents and local councillors as being difficult for some people, particularly older residents, to adapt to.
Other criticisms include recycling sacks blowing away and the need for many residents to keep containers and sacks indoors, making it difficult for those with less space in their homes.
However, Cardiff Council argues the scheme reduces the contamination of recyclable materials with non-recyclable waste.
The local authority said 96% of the products presented to it for recycling under the new scheme can be recycled, compared to 70% under the previous co-mingled scheme.
The containers for the separated recycling scheme include:
- A blue caddy for glass bottles and jars
- A red sack for metals, tins, aerosols, foil, plastic bottles, pots, tubs and Tetra Paks
- A blue sack for paper and cardboard
Along with the new containers, residents moving onto the separated scheme will also receive a cover letter, a detailed booklet, and a quick guide information sheet.
Residents can request extra sacks to recycle their waste and there is no restriction on how much recycling people can present.
Cardiff Council said extra weight has been added to recycling sacks to reduce the risk of them being blown away and replacements can be ordered via the council app or collected at some hubs.
