Black bin rubbish might only be collected every three weeks in future in Neath Port Talbot county

Residents of Neath Port Talbot are to be consulted on potential changes to waste services which the council has said are needed in order to meet Welsh Government targets.

Members of the council’s environment, regeneration, and street scene scrutiny committee met earlier this month to discuss draft proposals for the public consultation as well as giving an update on the progress of its Waste Strategy Action Plan.

At the meeting, officers highlighted how residents would be asked for feedback on a number of proposals such as the collection of black bin waste every three weeks as well as annual charges for green waste collection. Get the best user experience with WalesOnline’s Premium app on Apple or Android

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These come after the introduction of the Welsh Government’s latest 70% statutory recycling target with a council spokesman noting that, while the authority currently had a "creditable recycling rate approaching 68%" there was no guarantee that the 70% target would be met. They said: "Welsh Government targets will only get more challenging in order to achieve zero waste by 2050, therefore further action must be considered to improve recycling rates across the county borough."

A report held within the draft consultation added that missing these targets could potentially result in huge fines for the council worth around £200 for every tonne the target is missed. Cllr Scott Jones said: "In approving the waste strategy action plan last year we made it clear we would be consulting our residents on a range of options available to us to increase the level of recycling further. For example, enabling residents to mix paper and cardboard in the same recycling container would free up one container for the collection of small electrical items such as toasters, shavers, and kettles.

"It is important we hear from as many residents as possible so we can design a recycling collection system that works for people. Measures to encourage more recycling are essential not only for us to avoid damaging fines from the Welsh Government but also for us to have cleaner, better places to live in and for Wales to continue to be one of the best recycling nations on earth."

Plans to begin the consultation process are expected to go before the cabinet in the coming months but officers were eager to emphasise that no decisions had yet been made. For the latest Neath Port Talbot news sign up to our newsletter here.