Where we are now and why we need to do more

The Council’s existing Waste Management Strategy was implemented in 2009 and runs until 2025.

Since its implementation the waste service has significantly changed.  To meet Welsh Government’s Statutory Recycling Targets we have moved from a weekly, back-door collection service to a modern, highly controlled service that focusses on reuse and recycling.

Back in 2010 we were recycling around 40% of the waste we collected.  Through the introduction of weekly recycling collections and fortnightly residual waste collections we are now recycling almost 70%. 

With your help Flintshire is now the third best performing County in Wales and the best performing urban or semi urban authority.

This is a fantastic achievement but we cannot stop here.  Indications are that Welsh Government may well raise our targets to 80%, or even 90% in the future as it knows that not all recyclable waste is being presented for recycling. 

There are still households refusing to recycle any waste at all.  In March 2018 the Council began to take enforcement action against households persistently presenting additional waste at the side of their black bin.  This has been successful with an additional 1% of waste now being diverted to recycling – but this is not enough. 

Reducing, reusing and recycling our waste makes good financial sense.  Where there are commercial markets we can sell on recyclable materials and reinvest the income received into the service. Although this income is not significant, it does mean we are not paying to dispose of waste which keeps our operational costs down.  Also, if statutory recycling targets are not met, the Council could incur financial penalties from Welsh Government.

The environmental impacts of failing to reduce, reuse or recycle our household waste are well documented and are receiving national media coverage almost every day.   

As a Council we have a duty to make sure you can recycle every item of your household waste, whether through your kerbside collections or disposal at a Household Recycling Centre.  

Together we can all make a difference.