THE VALE Council says much of black bin bag waste can be recycled and this is one of the aims behind the new three-weekly bin collection plan.

It’s a policy that went badly with some residents when it was announced on January 16, with people across the county facing increased council tax costs and seeing a reduction in how much curbside waste is collected.

That was followed by the Vale Council announcing a week later it had made a profit of over £20million.

The council has now responded with an updated statement on the black bin bag fiasco, saying it’s all part of a wider plan to be more environmentally friendly.

“Welsh Government wants households to produce no non-recyclable domestic waste by 2050 so it is important that momentum is maintained in our push towards that target. To help achieve this, the council is proposing changes to its waste collection service, including a move to collect black bag waste every three weeks from July,” said the statement.

The council then went on to say they were proud of Vale residents’ efforts in recycling and optimistic those efforts would continue.

One of the bug bears for the council was the amount of food waste not being recycled.

The statement went on to say: “As part of our work to help residents reduce their non-recyclable waste, we monitor the contents of black bags.

“This analysis has revealed that many items within them can be recycled, most commonly food waste.

“Improving recycling performance is important. It will help address a challenging financial situation that sees the authority facing a £9-million budgetary shortfall, due largely to the cost-of-living crisis."

The vale finished by saying help will be available if required.

“We are committed to assisting people with these changes. For example, support will be available to vulnerable residents and households in specific circumstances, such as larger families and those with excessive pet waste.

“The council appreciates the vast majority of residents dispose of their waste responsibly. To support this, we take a hard line on fly-tipping and will continue this approach to ensure this offence does not become more prevalent.

“The council is proud that in the Vale residents are recycling more than ever.

“We are optimistic that this trend will continue as we roll out the final changes to collection arrangements later this year.”

The council says it will be sharing more information and advice on the situation in the coming months.

Let us know your thoughts on the three week bin collection plans in comments below.