Residents using the composting facilities at Pembrokeshire County Council’s six Civic Amenity and Recycling Centres are being urged to remove any plastic bags or containers from their garden waste.
With summer fast approaching, the amount of garden trimmings deposited at the sites rises daily.
While this can easily be converted into compost, the remnants of plastic bags and containers used to ferry the waste cannot.
Removing the debris is time-consuming and costly and has potential ramifications for the quality of the compost produced; plastics can take up to 500 years to decompose.
Cabinet member for the Environment and Regulatory Services, Councillor Ken Rowlands, says a little vigilance could save contamination of the compost, and thousands of pounds.
“Every ounce of compostible green and garden waste collected at the sites is shredded before being transported for processing,” he said.
“However, it’s not always possible to see any plastic bags or containers that have been left behind inside the material.
“When the material is screened at the processors, they have to remove any debris by hand and this adds to the costs associated with composting.
“While we actively encourage Pembrokeshire’s residents to compost their green waste, either at home or through our Civic Amenity and Recycling Centres, please dispose of the bags or containers used to transport the green waste properly.”
