Posted on Friday 27th January 2012
Residents are being urged to be on the look out for a bogus white recycling van that is stealing people’s waste.
Rhondda Cynon Taf Council have received a number of complaints about the white van and three males who are travelling around the County Borough collecting recycling bags and food waste.
The Council offers a free weekly collection service for all waste, including recycling and food waste. Once collected the waste is taken to Bryn Pica, Llwydcoed where it is sorted and either recycled or disposed of appropriately.
As part of its duty as a waste authority the Council has a responsibility to ensure that more and more waste is recycled in line with targets set by the Welsh Government. If these targets are not met the Council is fined up to £200 per tonne, which would in turn have to be passed on to residents in some way as this money would have to be found within the Council’s budget.
The bogus collection service is also putting residents in danger as they do not carry the correct waste licences and the reasons behind their new bogus service are currently unknown. It can only be assumed that these individuals are using the waste for criminal purposes. Many residents throw letters and bills in to their recycling bags which contain key information about them which could be used for identity theft or it could implicate them if the waste is fly tipped. The high price that private companies are paying for recyclable material could also be a driving force behind the thefts.
Councillor Anthony Christopher, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Frontline Services, said: “The Council is urging residents to be on the look out for anything suspicious and to note down the registration number of any vehicles they see acting in such a way, such as this reported white van. We ask them to then contact us so this can be investigated or reported to the police.
We have recycling targets as a Council, which are set by the Welsh Government and if we fail to meet these targets we face substantial fines which unfortunately would have to be absorbed by residents in some form. This is another occasion where opportunists are harming the County Borough and its residents for the sake of a very small amount of money.
“As a Council we are extremely committed to encouraging residents to recycle more and last year we have seen our best recycling figures ever, with over 53,691 tonnes collected. These eco-criminals could jeopardise the good work that has been carried out and it is important they are stopped.”
If you have any information please call the Council on 01443 494700 or call the South Wales Police on 101.