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Give Your Recycling the Royal Treatment!

Give your waste and recycling the royal treatment this Jubilee Bank Holiday and recycle like the kings and queens that you are in Rhondda Cynon Taf.

This year marks 20 years of recycling in Rhondda Cynon Taf and more and more residents are continuing to recycle to a royally high standard.

In 2002 Rhondda Cynon Taf introduced a recycling pilot to households across the County Borough after it was listed as one of the worst recycling areas in Wales – thanks to continuous investment, hard work, dedication, commitment and its amazing residents and staff joining the fight against waste, they are now, and have been for many years firmly in the top 10.

Rhondda Cynon Taf Council hit the 64%, Welsh Government recycling target in 2016/17 ahead of the 2019/20 deadline and are advancing towards the 2024/25 target of 70% and beyond.

As a Council, Rhondda Cynon Taf have led the way in many innovative initiatives over the last 20 years, from mattress recycling to cutting edge, first of its kind Community Recycling Centres to being one of the first areas to introduce nappy recycling!

As part of the Council’s ongoing commitment to climate change and recycling, it recently changed the way it collects green waste recycling - The introduction of new sustainable and reusable green sacks will see the Council reduce its overall plastic usage by around three million clear bags annually. In addition to this the Council asked its residents to register for the service so that the crews can avoid unnecessary journeys, reducing the Council’s overall carbon footprint – register at www.rctcbc.gov.uk/greenwaste.

Despite the success so far, as a County Borough we need to continue our recycling efforts to help reach the next 70% target. By THINKing about what can and can’t be recycled ‘#THINKRecycle’ we can all maximise our previous hard work and ensure a greener future for the next generation.

There will be NO CHANGES to collections on Thursday (02/06/2022) and Friday (03/06/2022) so the Council is requesting that our residents grab their royal CLEAR recycling bags and food waste bags and recycle all their extra waste during their exquisite street parties and events.

The Council is reminding residents to ensure that ALL refuse and recycling (including nappies, green and food waste recycling) should be placed at its normal collection point by 7am on your normal collection days and may be collected earlier than normal to accommodate street parties. Streets that have authorised closures on collection days will be collected by 8am.

However, If they have not collected your refuse/recycling as planned, please leave it at the kerbside as they may be working additional hours to clear a backlog and they’ll get to you as soon as possible – the crews can work well into the evening during busy periods and extra staff can sometimes be called in to clear the items the next day.

If you are hosting a street party, please be mindful of the royal recycling trucks that need to access the streets. Please park your cars or royal carriages sensibly and ensure that decorations and or bunting across streets, does not block access for “Emergency Service Vehicle” and that it is immediately removable.

The crews are planning their collection routes to accommodate parties where possible and collection times are likely to be different to normal, so please consider not setting up your tables etc. on the highway until later in the day or after your refuse/recycling is collected.

Residents can enjoy a waste-free bank holiday by recycling all their unavoidable food waste, extra plastic bottles, tubs and trays, metal cans, glass bottles, jars, cardboard packaging and lots more.

Recycling plays an essential role in tackling climate change and it’s a simple thing that everyone can do every day to help make a real royal and MIGHTY impact. The last two years has definitely brought many challenges and RCT households and residents have been making sure that, come what may, they have recycled and that’s great news, not just for our County Borough but for Wales and the wider environment – something we’re sure would get the Royal seal of approval.

ALL Community Recycling Centres are open from 8am until 7.30pm every day over the royal bank holiday.

Councillor Ann Crimmings, Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment, Leisure and Heritage Services, said:

“I'd like to wish all our residents a waste-free royal bank holiday and thank each and every one of them for supporting a greener future for RCT all year round.

"The bank holiday period means extra waste and it’s a great time to think green and recycle all the additional packaging, food, plastics and cans etc.

“Rhondda Cynon Taf Council continues to support people and is encouraging residents to keep up the good work all year round. The Council provides an accessible and innovative recycling service, complemented by ongoing public education and awareness-raising.

“The support of our householders towards all things recycling over the last 20 years has been amazing, and this is thanks to our residents all doing their bit. Going forward we must all keep up the great work and let's all take the small steps to help fight Climate Change.”

For more information and tips on recycling your bank holiday and royal party waste follow us on Facebook or Twitter or visit www.rctcbc.gov.uk/recycling.

Posted on 25/05/2022