THE Vale Council introduced Waste Management Service charges on April 1. I would like to take this opportunity to clarify why we implemented them and how they apply.

As with all councils in Wales, the Vale continues to face increasing financial pressures. It is hoped the introduction of charges will save almost £270,000 and that this will help safeguard frontline Waste Management Services, such as street cleansing, public convenience provision, and enforcement.

The charge for bulky item collection will be £15 per three items, with additional items charged at £5 each up to a maximum of five items. Concessions are available for qualifying residents, allowing up to two free collections in any one year. For information on concessions, call C1V on 01446 700111.

Residents will still be able to take bulky items to either of the Household Waste Recycling Centres in the Vale, or choose to donate good quality items to charity.

During April participating residents will receive a supply of biodegradable kitchen waste bags. This will allow for three full caddies, which equates to 15kg of food waste, per week. Additional rolls can be purchased for £2, equivalent to 4p per bag, from Council receptions and Vale libraries, or can be ordered from C1V with postage applied. Alternatively residents can line their caddy with newspaper.

Dog waste bags are now charged at £1 for a roll of 50 bags, equivalent to 2p a bag, and are available from Council receptions and Vale libraries.

To use the Council’s HWRCs at either Barry or Llandow, vans and trailers will be charged an administration fee of £15 for a single use permit. This is good value when compared to other alternatives such as skip hire and is comparable to the charges levied by other councils.

Recycling boxes and kitchen caddies will be charged at £1 each bringing them in line with the charges currently in place for blue recycling bags and reusable garden waste bags.

I would also like to appeal to all readers to visit the Love Food Hate Waste website at www.wasteawarenesswales.org.uk for some useful tips on reducing food waste and for great recipe ideas on how to use leftovers.

Finally, I would like to remind readers that all household and commercial waste that we collect should be placed at the kerbside of their property on the scheduled collection day and any receptacles used should be taken in as soon as possible afterwards. Please remember not to place any waste out on non-collection days as this could be classed as fly-tipping, which is a criminal offence.

Clifford Parish

Operational Manager for Waste Management and Cleansing