One local councillor keen to seek clarity on waste collection has sought assurances on behalf of his residents that improvements are on their way.
Llanwnda Councillor, Huw Rowlands took the opportunity to ask full council how transforming the waste collection will affect his local residents living within the ward.
“There have been some instances recently where problems have arisen in my ward, with bins and recycling not collected. Residents are then left in the dark as to when refuse will be collected. I’m keen that we work together locally, at county level and on a national level to see improvements made to the whole process.
“I’m pleased that Councillor Dafydd Meurig who leads on this issue at Gwynedd explained that concerns have also been raised in other areas of Arfon where bin collections have been hampered due to staff sickness. I feel reassured that changes are currently ongoing to transform the waste collection in Gwynedd, working with staff, supervisors and the trade unions. We look forward to seeing these changes becoming more efficient at our doorsteps.”
In response to the question, Cyngor Gwynedd’s environment department said that high levels of sickness and historical arrangements meant the service was unable to maximise productive working hours in the past. Additional resources were provided in an attempt to overcome problems which led to significant expenditure: Gwynedd was the second most expensive county nationally in 2021 2022 to spend on household waste.
Councillor Dafydd Meurig explains: “To address the issues, we’ve re-evaluated and re-designed the collection service which led to some collection failures in Arfon as new procedures were being being implemented. Working with our team of staff, the new arrangements in place appear to be bedding in well, and residents should soon start to see improvements in their collections.
“As with all new processes, we would urge residents to be patient as the bedding in period progresses,” explains Councillor Meurig.
Work to improve communication via Gwynedd Council’s social media and local county councillors should also assist if problems arise and crews are unable to collect on the usual day. The advice is to leave collections outside and every effort will be made to arrange collection for the following day.
“On behalf of everyone involved in this process, I would personally like to apologise to residents who have been affected by these issues, and would like to thank people for their patience,” continued Councillor Dafydd Meurig.
“Two positions have recently been advertised which should support the staffing structure of the waste bin collectors. We would also like to remind our residents to continue their stalwart efforts to recycle waste, to minimise any risks the council and taxpayers could face if financial penalties are introduced should we not meet the Welsh Government’s targets to reduce landfill waste.
"We are confident that we will see a service in Gwynedd, that our staff and residents, can soon be proud of yet again,” Cllr Dafydd Meurig concluded.
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