RESIDENTS in Llanrhaeadr ym Mochnant are growing increasingly frustrated at the lack of regular collections of rubbish from their local recycling facilities.
Black plastic bags and bottles were piled high over the Christmas period, with glass littering the area which lies adjacent to a children’s playground.
Llanrhaeadr resident, Jonathan Greatorex, made a trip to the facilities recently, and was appalled at what he saw; with fly tipping evidently becoming a problem as a result of the over-filled recycling bins.
“The potential for an accident here is enormous,” said Jon.
“Bottles are rolling around the car park and I watched a man having to kick some out of the way as he tried to put his baby in a pushchair. “
This is a recurring problem throughout the year and there is a general feeling in the community that the collections are not regular enough.
“It has been raised with the council a couple of times but things are still the same, they recently came and emptied the bins, but left the rest of the rubbish on the ground.
“If they changed the regularity of their collections it would solve the problem in one fell swoop,” he added.
Powys County Council Communications Manager for Highways, Transport and Refuse, Katie Williams, said that the council were aware of the problems at the site, and are entering an agreement with a local football club under the ‘Adopt a Site’ scheme to help improve matters.
“A report has been filed to collect the rubbish lying on the ground as a matter of urgency,” she said.
“We received a letter from a member of the public on January 6 highlighting the problems, and until they are rectified I would urge users of the nearby playground to be aware that the site is there.
“We hope to have an agreement in place with a local football team whereby they will help maintain the site. The scheme is called ‘Adopt a Site’, and gives local groups a chance to help with the responsibility of looking after the area.
“Unfortunately, no-one has been able to help with the scheme over the last 12 months and that has made it more difficult.
“When members of the public do see that the bins are full, they can call the number listed on them and let us know that they need to be emptied. We don’t have the resources to do a regular collection, so we need their help too,” she added.
Promising to look into the matter and get the site cleared, Aled Davies, County Councillor for Llanrhaeadr ym Mochnant and Llansilin said: “The recycling area is a complete mess, but I am guessing that its a result of the Christmas break and the winter weather.
“The recycling area is run by a local group who get paid for the glass and other recyclables, which makes an important contribution to their fundraising. “
“The local community council decide which organisation runs the site.
“The current organisation took over responsibility this year and I had thought that the site was being run more efficiently,” he said.