Denbighshire soft plastics trial brings recycling sorting to up to 12 containers

Right · 2Denbighshire County Council in north-east Wales is running a three-month trial of kerbside soft plastics recycling, covering about 4,500 homes. 1 2 Right · 2Both outlets report that residents already sort waste into up to 11 containers, and that the trial takes the total to 12. The Daily Mail dates the current system to a £22million overhaul of the recycling rules in 2024. 1 2 Right · 2The existing system uses Trolibocs, stackable three-compartment boxes for paper, metal, plastic and glass, plus a kitchen food caddy, a larger outdoor food caddy, a woven sack for cardboard and wheelie bins. The Daily Mail reports that general waste is now collected once every four weeks, down from once a fortnight. 2 1

Right · 2Resident Linda Muraca said that putting bins out "has become a full-time job", especially in the fourth week when they all go out, and that rubbish is often left on the roads after collections. GB News says she told The Times, while the Daily Mail says she said it on social media. Another resident, John Jacob, called the number of bins "absolutely ridiculous" and said flats have nowhere to put theirs. 2 1 Right · 1The Daily Mail reports complaints that the woven cardboard sack falls apart within months, that a replacement costs £12.50 and takes up to four weeks, and that the council says it is reviewing the policy. 1 Right · 2An unnamed Denbighshire Labour councillor, quoted by The Times, called residents who refuse to take part "lazy" and linked recycling to climate change. They said Denbighshire "has been leading the way". 2 1

Right · 1The council disputes the "12 bins" characterisation. A spokesperson said stacked Trolibocs count as one bin, so three bins are put out at the kerbside most weeks and four once every four weeks. They said textiles, absorbent hygiene products and garden waste are opt-in services and not typically counted. 2 Right · 2The council told the Daily Mail the trial had a "positive response" and "good uptake", with 2,700 bags collected from the 4,500 homes in the first week. It also said no decision has been made on making the scheme permanent, and that the trial runs until early December to prepare for forthcoming Welsh government changes to recycling requirements for all Welsh councils. 1 2 Right · 1The Daily Mail adds context. Welsh ministers plan kerbside soft plastic recycling next year despite feasibility warnings, while England has pushed its soft plastic collection back from 2027 to 2030. It also says English councils now need only four containers, and that the 2024 rollout was botched, forcing millions of pounds of spending on extra lorries and staff after missed collections. 1

Right · 1The Daily Mail also reports that the Labour-Plaid Cymru coalition that oversaw the rollout collapsed in September, and the authority is now run by an independent with Conservative support. 1 Right · 1On fly-tipping, the Daily Mail cites official statistics showing reported incidents rose 230 per cent between 2024 and 2025, from 1,121 to 3,699. The council attributes this to a new reporting system that records more incidents, and says there is "no evidence of a causal link" with the sorting rules. The Mail notes reports also rose 46 per cent the year before the new system. 1 Right · 1The TaxPayers' Alliance's Benjamin Elks said Welsh households are "sick to the back teeth" of being treated like "unpaid binmen" and urged Welsh ministers to adopt England's simpler rules. 1