A COUNTY councillor has explained why he believes the introduction of a new recycling system in Denbighshire, which includes scrapping the blue wheelie bin, will prove beneficial for residents.

In February, Denbighshire County Council shared plans to introduce the new system on June 3, when residents will be required to separate their “dry” recycling using a new three-tier trolleybox.

These will be delivered to households before the end of May.

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The move has attracted some criticism, with Vale of Clwyd MP, James Davies, labelling it “unforgivable” and former county councillor, Dewi Owens, describing it as “an absolute squandering of money”.

But Cllr Martyn Hogg, who represents the Wales Green Party on the council’s St Asaph East ward, has backed the plans, which he considers “a much better system in all aspects”.

Denbighshire’s new system is already in place in numerous other counties in Wales, including Conwy, where it was introduced more than a decade ago.

Regarding the suggestion that the new system could increase the amount of rubbish left on the roads, Cllr Hogg said: “It’s not a problem in Conwy, who have used the new system for 13 years, or any of the other counties in Wales who do kerbside sorting of recycling.

“So, why on earth is it going to be a problem in Denbighshire?”

The new service is 55 per cent funded by Welsh Government, while there will also be free new weekly collection services for small electrical items, household batteries and textiles.

There will also be a new weekly service to collect absorbent hygiene products (e.g. nappies and wipes, incontinence pads, and disposable bed pans and liners).

Welsh local authorities which have already rolled out similar changes have also seen an increase in the quantity and quality of recycling collected in those areas, the council said.

The new scheme will create 27 jobs, while the building of a new waste depot in Denbigh will help expand four businesses on the Colomendy Industrial Estate.

Cllr Hogg added: “The new system was proposed under the last Conservative/Independent administration and has had cross-party support from day one.

“It is a much better system in all aspects. We used to have to pay somewhere in the region of £30 per ton to send mixed recycling from blue bins to a sorting facility in Shotton.

“With the new system, we will be able to sell our sorted recycling on the recycled materials market.

“The new system is forecast to be £400-500K a year cheaper to run, and will create 27 jobs. The facts back up the claim that this is better value for money.

“It has been a success in many other councils across Wales, so why would it be a disaster in Denbighshire?”

Cllr Hogg added that the new system will enable Denbighshire’s recycling rates to rise from 64 per cent currently to more than 70 per cent.

Every other council that has switched to kerbside sorting has already surpassed 70 per cent recycling rates, he said.

A failure to do so could leave the council at risk of being fined by Welsh Government.

Cllr Hogg added: “You have to think about where all your waste goes.

“By doubling the amount of recycling that is collected and keeping the general waste collection the same, or slightly less, people can think more about the waste they generate and easily recycle more.

“The operators have been well consulted and, chatting with the team that delivered our new containers, are fully onboard with the new system.

“The best way for them to receive our recycling is to have it clean and sorted into separate boxes so it can be processed at Denbighshire’s new waste facility in Denbigh.”

In summary, Cllr Hogg said, it will save the council up to £500,000 a year, increase the amount of recycled material in Denbighshire, create jobs, and reduce the council’s carbon footprint.

He added that he has consulted with Conwy County Borough Council on the matter, who told him that it received “a large number of complaints before introducing their kerbside sorting system, but very little complaints after it was introduced”.

Cllr Hogg said: “There will undoubtedly be some teething troubles; it is the biggest change to public services that Denbighshire has ever seen.

“But if so many other counties in Wales have done this successfully, there is no reason to doubt that Denbighshire can’t, once again, be top of the charts for recycling in Wales.

“I think the only valid concern with the new model is that Wales is a windy place and bags full of cardboard are likely to get blown about if residents put their bins out the night before collection day, in a storm.

“There’s bound to be some issues, but I have faith that the majority of Denbighshire residents will cope.”