Gwynedd: Bin collectors seen tossing recycling into rubbish bins

A resident claims the incident happened in the Upper Garth Road area of Bangor

A rubbish row has erupted in a north Wales suburb following claims bin collectors have been throwing recyclable refuse in with general waste.

A resident in Bangor said he was shocked to see council workers mixing up the rubbish on their weekly rounds.

The household items were left outside about 20 homes in recycle boxes on 24 January awaiting collection.

Gwynedd council said it was investigating the "isolated incident".

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Medryn Williams, who lives in the Upper Garth Road area, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service he was shocked to see council workers "throw recyclable plastic, cans and paper" into the general waste.

"It just seems pointless that myself and others are going to the effort of sorting and washing our recycle items, then putting them out for collection every week, for them to get mixed up with all the other rubbish," Mr Williams said.

The waterboard technician said he saw the collectors throw blue recycling box items into the usual green rubbish wheelie bins.

'What is the point?'

"When the general rubbish vehicle came, it just collected the recycling items mixed in with rubbish, everything in one bin.

"How this world is going on now, it is vital that we recycle. But this has made me question what is the point?

"I spend my time recycling, as do other residents in the area, we put things into the right containers every week, then these workers go and do this."

Mr Williams said he and other neighbours had reported the matter to the council's environment department head Dafydd Wyn Williams, council leader Dyfrig Siencyn, and the chief executive Dafydd Gibbard.

The council said: "We are grateful to all Gwynedd residents who take their time to sort their waste and for playing their part in ensuring that more than 65% of the county's waste is recycled.

"We want to reassure people that as much waste as possible collected from the blue boxes and brown bins is put to good use."