Every single household in a Welsh county has had their general waste bags inspected by council officials over the past eight years, with residents facing a potential £100 fine for incorrectly disposing of recyclable materials.
Proactive Patrols and Fines
At a meeting of Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council’s Economic Development and Environment Management scrutiny committee on Tuesday, October 21, councillors reviewed the annual Waste and Recycling performance report for 2024/2025.
Andrew Long, the manager of the council’s frontline enforcement services, revealed the extensive nature of the inspections. "Over the last six to eight years every property in the county borough has had an enforcement visit so that’s over 32,000 homes," he stated.
The process involves waste wardens taking a black bin bag from a household's presented residual waste. They then photograph and log the bag before taking it to the Silent Valley Household Waste and Recycling Centre for examination. The contents are searched for any recyclable material.
Recycling Rates Improve But Target Missed
The council's latest figures show that while the recycling rate has improved, it still falls short of the Welsh Government's ambitious target. The rate increased from 66.18 per cent in 2023/2024 to 68.89 per cent in 2024/2025, but this was just below the 70 per cent goal.
Councillor Gareth Alban Davies raised questions about the work of the Waste Wardens, citing a case where a constituent who put out four black bags every three weeks was visited by a warden who "vastly reduced how much black bag waste she puts out."
Enforcement Process for Non-Compliant Households
Mr Long explained the strict enforcement measures in place for those who consistently fail to recycle properly. "If people are identified as putting out recyclate in their residual waste then we take an enforcement process which involves serving a legal notice and FPN (fixed penalty notice) and prosecution if that isn’t paid," he confirmed.
The council operates a proactive strategy, with wardens not only responding to public reports about neighbours but also actively monitoring collection days. Refuse crews notify the wardens of properties presenting excessive waste, which are then monitored for repeat offences.
Mr Long described the main enforcement tool as the "keeping up with the Jones’" campaign, emphasising that the team is "very proactive when it comes to targeting non-compliant properties."
