THE latest cuts to Powys council’s waste collection service have been announced amid rising complaints at how it handles the county’s rubbish.
The authority late last year introduced three-weekly collections of household waste and has this month announced it will review its community recycling sites with a view to reducing the 80 or so currently stationed across Powys.
The council’s three-weekly collections have been blamed after a mound of rubbish bags was allowed to build up behind a woman’s home in Brecon.
Gaynor Richards said she could only watch as piles of bin bags, from nearby flats, piled up at the back of her house in Silver Street, Llanfaes.
She said: "I’ve lived in the street for two years and the bin bags at the back has always been a problem but it’s worse now because of the three weekly collections."
The council was forced to break its three-weekly collection cycle and make a special collection to clear the bags.
Concerns have also been raised at the potential loss of community recycling centres. The council claims less recyclable material is being brought to the centres due to the expansion of its kerbside recycling collections.
Llanyre Community Council manages the community recycling site in Newbridge-on-Wye.
The area’s county councillor John Evans said he has hasn’t noticed a decline in material bought to the site, but said the amount of money the community council receives has reduced due to a fall in the price paid for recyclable material.
Cllr Evans said though the recycling site now brings in less money to the community he said it is still a valued service.
"Where is this stuff all going to end up? It will be a blow to the community projects if it goes and where will the rubbish go?
"People will have to take it to Llandrindod but I don’t think they will take it that far and it will be left on the ground."
Allan Lowe, of Bronllys, near Brecon has also raised concerns at the possible removal of the recycling bins from Talgarth. He questioned the council’s position that use of the centres had reduced due to kerbside recycling.
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