Well, just when you thought it was safe to swing your black bin bags with swagger every fortnight, the Vale Council may move to three-weekly collections.
Our local authority’s long list of money saving measures include proposals to lengthen the pick-up time of our refuse.
Truth be told, I’ve been doing a bit of rather fancy house renovation lately and have had copious amounts of rubbish all tied up in those brilliant Beast bin bags, which I have been dutifully trundling over the Recycling Centre every Sunday.
I’ve also, on occasion paid a well-known local firm to pick up my rubbish and dispose of it ethically – that was worth every penny.
Let’s all pause a minute whilst I polish my environmental halo!
But what about those less resilient residents, who can’t, or won’t cut their black bag contents.
And those with the additional bag allowance are going to have double the trouble.
Will we see a fly-tipping frenzy with bin bags left simmering on our streets or casually chucked randomly up our street and alleys?
Research says not, and I’m confident that our cracking Barry community are bigger and better that that.
But I do have a few suggestions for the Vale Council to soften the switch – which I have nicked from a fellow Welsh local authority who did the same.
How about weekly nappy collections; free bulky waste collection; mobile recycling centres; second bins for larger families; extra recycling containers; and a special assistance service.
Sounds super doesn’t it and worked well in Conwy apparently.
Bulky collection costing twenty-five quid, and that needs to booked weeks in advance, is a definite barrier.
And the final three initiatives can only see our recycling rates rise.
I’ve got one of my own too – the scrapping of pre-booked appointments at our main Centres.
Trust us to just nip over when we want rather than be stuck with draconian rules pesky pandemic rules that some public sector places, and local businesses, can’t seem to cease.
What do you think?
(c) mrssvj.co.uk
Sue Vincent-Jones, blogging as Mrs SVJ, is a Barry born journalist, editor, and activist. She writes about Barry – and her life in the wider world, through the eyes of a, quirky and queer, local girl done good.
Written exclusively for the Vale’s newest newspaper, and digital platform, The Glamorgan Star, her latest ‘Passing Comment’ column, an addition to the infamous Sue’s Views collection, can be found here.
Mrs SVJ, Barry’s Boldest Blogger, can be contacted here.