Thank you to RCT residents who are recycling more than ever during these unprecedented times – we are continuing to collect tonnes of recycling every week and the Council’s MIGHTY Streetcare team are going above and beyond to ensure that collections have continued.
Thanks to the efforts of our MIGHTY residents and collection/sorting crews the Council was able to report record-breaking festive recycling figures. The Council now needs your help to ensure that we keep recycling to the same standards that we always have.
Many residents are having clear outs and may find a few items that they need to get rid of. BUT if it’s not recyclable at the kerbside please take the items to one of the Community Recycling Centres so that they can be re-purposed and re-used.
There is a handy, searchable A-Z guide available at www.rctcbc.gov.uk/RecyclingSearch which tells residents where to place items and a list is also featured on the front of the CLEAR recycling bags. As a rule of thumb, empty food cartons (e.g. milk bottles, yogurt pots, tins, cans, wine bottles, glass jars etc can all be washed and put in to a CLEAR recycling bag).
The Council DOES NOT accept textiles, clothes, plastic toys, paint pots, shoes, small electrical items, wood, plasterboard pieces, wall paper, paintbrushes, gardening items, soil, rubble etc at the kerbside – these items should be taken to the Community Recycling Centres.
The Council offers a free, weekly, kerbside food and nappy recycling service, which residents can register for online. Food waste or nappies should NEVER be placed out for collection in a CLEAR recycling bag as these items will contaminate all of the other recyclable materials that it contains. It will also contaminate all the items that it comes in to contact with at the sorting centre. This will result in food particles being mixed with bales of paper fibres and make it no longer recyclable.
Councillor Ann Crimmings, Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment, Leisure and Heritage Services, said: “Our mighty recycling RCT residents are doing an amazing job and have been continuing to recycle throughout this pandemic, despite these unprecedented challenges we are all continuing to face. It was fantastic to recently see our festive recycling records being broken and it just shows the dedication and commitment that our residents now have to recycling and the environment.
“As a Council we do our best to make recycling easy and accessible for all – with online recycling bag requests and deliveries, and a simple one clear bag system for dry recyclables. All of our Community Recycling Centres are currently open to the public.
“We are asking residents to keep up these efforts and to make sure that they use all of the services that are available. Please ensure that food waste is recycled in the light green food waste bags and that you register for nappy collections, if needed, and that nappies are put out in purple bags. All clean, dry recycling should be placed in to CLEAR recycling bags. By doing this we can make sure that our recycling efforts reach their maximum potential and we don’t waste any of it.
“If we keep this up, we will hit the Welsh Governments target of 70% well before 2024/25 – well done RCT!”
Recycling bags are available at essential shopping outlets or they can be ordered for delivery online at www.rctcbc.gov.uk/bags. Kerbside collections have continued throughout the pandemic and where there is a delay, residents are advised to leave their items at their collection point and they will be collected as soon as possible.
ALL Community Recycling Centres are currently open 7 days a week, from 8am-5.30pm and now allow vans and trailers alongside cars to dispose of items. A number of strict guidelines remain in place for site visitors and these are likely to be in place for the foreseeable future – more details are available at www.rctcbc.gov.uk/CRCsRules. Both re-use shops ‘The-Shed’ based at Treherbert and Llantrisant Recycling Centres are currently closed under the Welsh Government Alert Level 4 Restrictions.
Tissues, wipes - cleaning or personals, face masks, gloves or any other Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) should be placed in your black bag waste – if anyone in your household has symptoms of coronavirus these items should also be double bagged and put out after 72 hours.
Residents are reminded that they can put out an unlimited number of clear recycling bags, but black bag/wheelie bin waste is limited to 2 black bags or 1 wheelie bin (lid must close).
For more details and tips on recycling in RCT, visit www.rctcbc.gov.uk/recycling or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
You can sign up to nappy recycling at www.rctcbc.gov.uk/NappyRecycling and you can order a food waste caddy and bags at www.rctcbc.gov.uk/FoodWaste.
To learn more about the mighty mission visit www.walesrecycles.org.uk, look out for the ads on TV, on buses and billboards and social media across Wales or join the conversation using the hashtag #mightyrecyclers.
Posted on 23/02/2021