Carmarthenshire County Council is launching a six-week engagement exercise to gather views on proposals for the future of household recycling collections.

The council is looking at introducing a number of changes in a phased approach over the next three years to increase recycling rates, as well as to cut the council’s carbon footprint and provide a more cost-effective service.

It would also help to ensure the council achieves the Welsh Government 70% recycling target by 2025 and beyond.

At the moment, the council provides weekly food waste collections, along with fortnightly collection of blue recycling bags and black bags. Residents can also sign up for a paid for garden waste collection service between March and November.

Later this year, free fortnightly collections of nappies and other hygiene waste will be provided to residents that need it. More information will soon be available on how to sign up for this service.

Then in 2022, the council is planning to start collecting blue bags every week, and introduce glass collections, every three weeks to begin with, along with three-weekly black bag collections – up to a maximum of three bags (the same number they collect now).

In 2024, the council is proposing to introduce separate weekly collections of glass, paper, cardboard, cans and plastic, food, textiles and batteries and small household appliances. Black bags would remain on a three-weekly collection (up to three per household).

Executive Board Member for Environment Cllr Hazel Evans said: “If we are to improve our recycling rates we need to make changes to the service we provide by increasing the amount of materials that can be recycled from the kerbside.

“We know that almost half (46%) of the contents in black bags in Carmarthenshire can be recycled, so we need to look at what we can do to try and capture this.

“One of the changes we are looking at is the introduction of glass collections, I know this is something that residents have been asking for over a number of years, together with weekly recycling collections, which would make a big difference.

“I would urge residents to please read the information provided on these proposals and to complete the survey in order to help shape the way in which these changes are delivered over the next few years.

“I would also like to thank residents for all their efforts to recycle to date; we are now recycling 66% of our waste which is a huge achievement, but we have to do more if we are to reach future recycling targets, do our bit to tackle climate change and provide a more efficient service for residents.”

To take part in the survey, please visit the consultation pages on the council website. Paper copies are available from one of the council's customer service Hwbs. The survey closes on July 7.

Following the end of the engagement exercise, a report will go before Executive Board outlining the proposals and providing residents feedback for a decision to be made.