Cabinet to consider options for future of waste and recycling service

The Cabinet of Bridgend County Borough Council will meet next week to discuss options for how waste and recycling services will operate after 31 March 2026.

With the previous contract between the council and Kier now at an end, a new two-year temporary contract has been agreed with Plan B Management Solutions Ltd.

This is providing the authority with sufficient time to take advantage of technological advancements, acquire new low-emission collection vehicles, and ensure that a longer-term collection service is capable of meeting whatever new recycling targets may be set by Welsh Government.

At the meeting, Cabinet will consider a report from specialists Eunomia which has identified three separate options:

• To bring waste and recycling services back in-house within the council.
• To run the service via a LATCO or local authority trading company which would enable the service to make a profit and compete as a third-party / commercial waste company.
• To procure a new external waste contractor to run the service on the council’s behalf.

Cabinet members will also consider feedback from an Overview and Scrutiny Committee on the three options before making a decision on which will be the most efficient and effective for Bridgend County Borough.

The report will outline how Bridgend County Borough Council currently sits within the top three highest performing councils in Wales for recycling. More than 71 per cent of local waste is recycled and diverted away from landfill, which exceeds the Welsh Government target of 68 per cent, and the missed collection rate – a national indicator – remains at fewer than 50 per 100,000 collections.

Cabinet will discuss the report at 2.30pm on Tuesday 16 April and you can view the agenda here.