Neath Port Talbot Council Rejects Three-Weekly Bin Collections Following Public Opposition

A Welsh council, Neath Port Talbot, has decided against reducing the frequency of bin collections, diverging from a broader trend. Councillors had been informed that the authority faces a £23m deficit in its upcoming budget due to increased service demands, prompting a request for all departments to find 5% savings. However, members rejected plans to transition from fortnightly to three-weekly waste collections, following objections from over 80% of respondents to a public consultation. A councillor stated that they were “listening to the public.” Earlier in the year, BBC Wales reported that the majority of Wales’s 22 councils might soon implement waste collections every three or four weeks. In February, 10 local authorities, including Neath Port Talbot, conducted fortnightly collections, while 11 others collected every three weeks, and one, Conwy, operated on a monthly schedule. Local authorities are experiencing financial strain and are also mandated by the Welsh government to achieve a 70% recycling rate for all collected waste. Failure to meet this target can result in fines. The proposed plan for Neath Port Talbot also included the introduction of fees for garden waste collection. A reduction of £739,000 is required from the authority’s waste and recycling budget. This decision followed a public consultation that generated 3,740 responses, revealing that 84% of participants opposed the shift to three-weekly collections and 73% disagreed with the proposed additional charges. During the meeting, Councillor Scott Jones stated: “We are listening to the public, taking into consideration the concerns raised by the public during consultation as well as those from the scrutiny and wider council membership.” He added: “I’m not convinced moving to three-weekly collections or implementing a green waste collection charge is the right approach.” The council did approve the consolidation of paper and card collections, alongside the introduction of collections for small electrical items. Furthermore, a report indicated that eight of the council’s refuse vehicles require replacement. Councillors also deliberated on strategies to achieve Welsh government recycling targets, which are scheduled to increase to 70% in the 2025/26 financial year.