A CONSERVATIVE councillor has criticised Newport City Council’s approach to the introduction of three-weekly bin collections.
Cllr David Fouweather (pictured) has said the council should have piloted the three-weekly collections before including the reduction in the budget.
Three-weekly collections were approved as part of the budget for 2023/24 and will effect household rubbish and garden waste.
The council has said the change will be delivered in two phases, the first phase will include 12,100 homes and is taking place this spring, followed by a full roll-out in the autumn.
Cllr Fouweather, who represents Allt-yr-yn, said: “It seems to me that even if the pilot scheme is unsuccessful they will plough ahead with their plans anyway.”
The council has said a mix of streets and households will be included in the first phase and used to “fine tune” the routes, in preparation for phase two.
All residents in the first phase areas are expected to be notified directly before the changes are brought in.
According to the council, currently almost 40% of waste collected in Newport which is currently going into household rubbish bins can be recycled at the kerbside.
Conservative campaigner and St Julians resident, Michael Enea, believes the three-weekly collections could increase fly-tipping.
Cabinet member for climate change and biodiversity, Cllr Yvonne Forsey, has previously said: “[Fly-tipping] is more to do with the character of the person doing it, than the circumstances that they find themselves in.”
Mr Enea said when he visited the recycling centre on Thursday April 13, all black bags were being checked – which he thinks could deter people from managing their waste properly.
He added: “We have got all these things happening at the same time – the three-weekly collections, checking bags and the introduction of charges for rubble and tyres. I think recycling is important but if you rush it too fast it can have negative effects.”
A spokesperson for Newport City Council said: “Bag checking has been in place at our household waste recycling centre since summer 2021. We will check black bags sometimes to ensure that there are no recyclable materials contained within them, as we don’t allow these on site.
“There is a message on our booking form which lets residents know their black bags may be searched.”
