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Penarth's litter bins 'overflowing', say residents

Tuesday, 7 October 2025 at 12:09

By Ted Peskett - Local Democracy Reporter X @TedPeskettNews

Pic: Penarth Civic Society

Penarth residents say they are frequently seeing litter bins overflow after the local council decided to remove some.

Vale of Glamorgan Council decided to remove a number of bins across the county earlier this year to stop them being misused and to tackle the issue of fly-tipping.

But Penarth Civic Society says it's been approached by a number of concerned residents about the move, which it said resulted in the removal of 44 of the 173 litter bins in the town.

A letter sent to the group's members states: “We have noticed that the remaining bins are now frequently overflowing and are clearly unable to cope with the amount of litter being deposited.”

The civic society added that it met with the council’s head of neighbourhood services, Colin Smith, who they said has agreed to look at any representations they make “with a view to replacing some bins which we can prove were providing an invaluable service”.

Penarth Civic Society is now asking its members to get in touch if they have noticed any problems caused by the removal of a litter bin in town.

Their letter added: “If there are any locations that you would like to bring to our attention then please email the location to enquiries@penarthsociety.org.uk."

"The council has not scrapped the bins and it is possible that some locations could have a double bin rather than a single one to help with this problem. They have agreed to conduct litter surveys in any specific areas brought to their attention.”

As part of its plan to keep streets clean, Vale of Glamorgan Council has started installing new on-street recycling bins.

Last February, it was announced new recycling bins would be installed at 24 locations across the county, including Penarth's seafront and clifftop, Barry Island, the Knap, Ogmore beach and Southerndown beach “over the coming months”.

Cllr Mark Wilson, cabinet member for neighbourhood services, said: "The introduction of the new separated recycling bins will make it easier than ever for visitors to our busiest locations to recycle their waste."

"When we hosted our climate conversation earlier this year one of the most common issues raised by young people was that they can recycle at home, at school, but often not in our parks or resorts."

"This tallied with feedback we received over the summer from residents about limited options in some public spaces and a general perception that more was needed to keep our town centres and other locations clean and tidy."

"We heard this loud and clear and reviewed our services to see what action could be taken in response."

"Removing some older bins alongside introducing new ones means we can improve options for recycling in the Vale while also making our services more efficient and cost effective – a vital consideration at a time when the financial pressures on the council are immense."

"Our new bins are in the areas they are most needed. Litter bins are primarily for visitors to an area and therefore we are concentrating them in our town centres and resorts."

"We’ve been careful when identifying older bins for removal to make sure that all communities are still well served and able to responsibly dispose of their litter."

"We are also seeking to tackle the issue of fly-tipping in residential areas by removing bins that were being abused by a small minority. We believe that by doing so we will remove the temptation to dispose of waste in public places rather than sorting it responsibly at home like most residents."

"We very much value and appreciate the support of Keep Wales Tidy volunteers who regularly give up their time to clean up litter, helping to improve the appearance of our county. The bags they fill will continued to be collected from near bins as they have been previously."

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