Robert Lloyd - a Sir Gar Blog of random news . . . and some Clecs!

A Llangennech man has been prosecuted for arranging the removal of household waste that was then fly tipped. Ethan George pleaded guilty last Friday at Llanelli Magistrates Court an offence under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 - transferring controlled waste to a person without carrying out relevant checks. The court heard that on Wednesday March 9 last year, as a result of information received Carmarthenshire County Council environmental enforcement officers visited Llethri Road and Trosserch Woods in Llanelli where they saw a pile of black and blue refuse bags. At Llethri Road they saw nine blue and black bags and a kitchen chair. A search through the bags revealed evidence relating to a woman living in Llangennech. On arriving at Trosserch Woods they had to walk about 25-30m into the woods where they saw nine blue and black bags. A search through the bags revealed further correspondence relating to the same person. The following day the officers asked the woman how her was...

Residents in Carmarthenshire are being urged to give home composting a go and take advantage of a one day half price compost bin sale. The council’s waste and recycling section is supporting Compost Awareness Week and is selling compost bins for just £6. The sale is being held at the Co-op car park in Cross Hands on Wednesday, May 4, from 9am to 2pm. The 330 litre compost bins are available to Carmarthenshire residents only and must be collected on the day (no delivery) with only one bin per address. It includes a free composting guide with every purchase. Executive Board Member for the Environment Cllr Hazel Evans said: “Many people don’t realise just how easy it is to home compost or just how much of their household waste can actually be composted. Grass and hedge clippings, veg peelings, egg shells, tea bags and even shredded cardboard can go into your compost bin.” Helping to reduce the amount of organic waste going to landfill, you will also be left with a nutrient rich compost ...

Residents in Pencader are being urged to take advantage of a one-off chance to dispose of any household waste they may have. A waste and tyre amnesty is being held in Ysgol Cae’r Felin on Tuesday, February 16 between 8am and 1pm. Most household waste can be taken along including unwanted furniture, carpets and mattresses, electrical items such as fridge-freezers and televisions, as well as black and blue bags. A maximum of four tyres can also be disposed of; however, tractor or lorry tyres will not be accepted. Hazardous waste such as paint, fluorescent tubes, batteries, chemicals, gas bottles and asbestos will not be accepted along with glass, garden waste, trade waste, construction waste and agricultural waste. Residents can pick up a free bag of Merlin’s Magic Compost (while stocks last) courtesy of CWM Environmental Ltd. Half-price compost bins will also be on sale for just £6 instead of the usual £12. Executive Board Member for the Environment Cllr Hazel Evans said: “The aim of ...

A total of 363 compost bins were sold in a special half-price compost bin sale held during Compost Awareness Week. The one-off sale was organised by Carmarthenshire County Council’s waste section at the Co-op car park in Cross Hands. The compost bins were available to county residents only at a subsidised price of just £5. The aim was to encourage householders to go green by home composting their garden and kitchen waste. Council waste minimisation/recycling officer Karen Fulham said: “Many people don’t realise how simple it is to home compost or just how much of their household waste can actually be composted. As well as autumn leaves, grass and hedge clippings, vegetable peelings and egg shells, you can put shredded cardboard, tea bags and even the contents of your vacuum cleaner into your compost bin. “This is the third time we have held a compost bin sale and it was another great success. It was a central location for most of the county and we would like to thank the Co-op for...

The Fly-tipping Action Wales partnership today (23 March 2011) launched a fresh appeal for householders to take responsibility for their own waste, as part of a new campaign cleaning up fly-tipping hotspots in communities across Wales including Carmarthenshire. Latest annual Flycapture* statistics published by the Welsh Government show that a total of 41,750 cases of fly-tipping were reported in Wales (01 April 2010 – end March 2011), which equates to around four incidents per hour on average. Household waste accounts for the highest proportion of total cases at almost two-thirds (65%). The Welsh Government funded partnership, Fly-tipping Action Wales, consists of 50 partner agencies working together to reduce the number of incidents of fly-tipping, which cost Welsh tax payers more than £2.2 million each year to clean-up. The new Spring Clean campaign comes at a time when people across Wales are getting ready to carry out more DIY, renovation and garden work at home. Householde...

Residents in Carmarthenshire are being urged to give home composting a go and take advantage of a one day half price compost bin sale. It’s Compost Awareness Week from May 6–12 and to celebrate Carmarthenshire County Council’s waste section is selling compost bins for just £5. The sale is being held at the Co-op car park in Cross Hands on Wednesday, May 9, from 10am to 2pm. The 330 litre compost bins are available to Carmarthenshire residents only and must be collected on the day (no delivery) with only one bin per address. It includes a free composting guide with every purchase. Council waste minimisation/recycling officer Karen Fulham said: “Many people don’t realise how simple it is to home compost or just how much of their household waste can actually be composted. As well as autumn leaves, grass and hedge clippings, vegetable peelings and egg shells, you can put shredded cardboard, tea bags and even the contents of your vacuum cleaner into your compost bin. “Home composting ...

Three people have been fined £75 for dumping household waste next to the recycling banks in Burry Port. The fixed penalty notices were issued by the council’s environmental enforcement officers at the recycling site which is located in the car park in Sea View Terrace. Failure to pay could lead to prosecution in the magistrate’s court and a maximum penalty of up to £2,500. The council now hope these fines will act as a warning to others that this type of behaviour will not be tolerated. Unfortunately, fly-tipping is becoming an increasing problem at recycling sites across the county. Residents are being urged to put their waste into the recycling banks and not leave it on the ground as it only attracts further fly-tipping. The banks are emptied regularly but if they are full then people should take their rubbish home until they are serviced or use a nearby recycling site. There are now more than 150 recycling sites throughout Carmarthenshire. Director of Technical Services Richard...

More than 50 per cent of household waste in Carmarthenshire is no longer going to landfill. This is because it is either being recycled or used to produce energy from waste. We must reduce the amount of waste being sent to landfill as not only is space running out fast but it is polluting the environment and losing valuable resources. Latest figures also show the county is now recycling almost 45 per cent of its rubbish. The council’s director of technical services Richard Workman said: “We want to encourage residents to use their blue bags and green bins as much as possible to reduce the amount in black bags that end up on landfill sites. “I am delighted that we are now diverting more than 50 per cent of our waste from landfill, but we must keep it up. The targets are going to get much tougher during the next few years so we must do all we can to recycle as much as possible.” The council’s kerbside recycling scheme is now serving around 77,000 homes and the number of bring sites throu...