A third of homes in Carmarthenshire will stop putting their recycling out in blue bags from Monday 2 November, when the county’s switch to colour-coded sacks begins.
Carmarthenshire Council says most homes in the first phase, mainly in the west of the county, start on that date. A small number will start later in November, because the service is being brought in in stages.
Every home will get a letter this month with its start date and collection arrangements, and the council says residents should follow the dates in it. In July, the council said that letter would arrive in September.
Your bin day could change even if you keep blue bags
The change reaches beyond the homes switching. Collection days, or the week black bags go out, may change for homes across the county, including the two thirds staying on blue bags for now.
Homes staying on the old service will get their own letter and a new calendar in October. Their usual yearly supply of blue bags and caddy liners will arrive between November and January.
For a small number of homes, the new rounds leave a gap of more than three weeks between the last black bag collection on the old schedule and the first on the new one. The council says it will run a one-off extra collection for those homes, and write to them separately with the date.
Five sacks, and how to check yours has arrived
Homes switching will sort their recycling into red, orange and blue sacks, with red bags for plastic film and a white sack for batteries. We set out what goes in each sack, and what doesn’t when the switch was announced in July.
The sacks are being delivered during September and October, along with a year’s supply of food caddy liners. Residents can check online whether deliveries in their area are finished, and report a missed delivery if theirs hasn’t come.
Food waste, recycling and glass will all be collected weekly. Garden waste and hygiene and nappy collections are unchanged, and black bags stay at three every three weeks.
Carmarthenshire is the 19th council in Wales to switch
The council says the change is part of the Welsh Government‘s Collections Blueprint, which is meant to raise both the amount and the quality of recycling collected.
Carmarthenshire will be the 19th council in Wales to move to separated collections, it says, a system first brought in elsewhere in Wales in the early 2000s. It says councils that miss Welsh Government recycling targets could face significant fines, with potential consequences for council taxpayers.
A new rulebook written for the switch sets out a ladder for households that keep getting it wrong, running from a letter to a warden’s visit to fines.
Your October letter has your start date
Cllr Edward Thomas, the council’s cabinet member for transport, waste and infrastructure services, said: “It is important that residents look out for their letter in October, as this will confirm their start date and any changes to their collection day or week.”
He said the switch would help the county hit its targets: “By separating our recycling, we can improve the quality of the materials we collect, recycle more of our waste and help Carmarthenshire achieve its recycling targets.”
Residents can check whether their home is changing with the council’s postcode checker.
They can also sign up for free email or text reminders of their collection days.
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