Residents in Carmarthenshire are being urged to put their green recycling bins out every week.
Concerns have been raised that some householders may be putting food waste in their black bags instead.
The council’s Environment Scrutiny Committee heard that a participation and monitoring survey carried out in the Llanelli area in April found that just under 55 per cent of householders put out their green bin at least once over a three week period and only 28 per cent put it out every week.
Council sustainability officer Diane Thomas said: “We must remember that this is just a snapshot in time, it was only carried out over a three week period and only covered 1,000 properties in the Swiss Valley area. But what it told us was that more food waste was collected during blue bag weeks than black bag weeks which suggests that food is going in black bags.
“There could be a number of reasons for this, maybe they don’t want to dirty their green bin and it is easier to put it in their black bag or maybe they are getting confused about what is a black bag week and what is a recycling week, but the green bins should go out every week.
“When surveyed some of the householders said they did not produce enough food waste, but people would be surprised by how much it adds up over a week. But no matter how little food waste they have it is important it goes in the green bin.”
Carmarthenshire must recycle/compost 52 per cent of its waste by 2012/13 which is why householders’ participation in the scheme is vital.
The full results of the survey, which was funded by the Welsh Assembly Government and carried out in three local authority areas including Carmarthenshire, Denbighshire and Rhondda Cynnon Taf, are yet to be published.
Members were told that the council was also conducting its own survey on a round in the Carmarthen area.
The council’s kerbside recycling scheme now serves approximately 77,000 households throughout Carmarthenshire. Work is underway to reach the remaining 10 per cent of the county which does not benefit from kerbside recycling provision.
