Carmarthenshire Council has announced a new recycling strategy that will require residents to sort their recyclable waste into five different coloured bags or sacks, replacing the current single blue bag system. The changes, set to begin in mid to late autumn 2026, aim to bring the county more in line with neighbouring areas such as Pembrokeshire.
Current System and Changes
Currently, residents place all recyclable waste into blue bins collected weekly, alongside a weekly food waste bin. Black bags are collected once every three weeks. Under the new system, food waste and black bag collections will remain the same, but recycling will be sorted into five separate containers.
The first homes affected will be in the west of the county, with other properties following later. Flats, homes with communal collection points, and those with difficult access will be exempt.
New Recycling Items Provided
Residents switching to the new system will receive: a reusable blue sack for paper, a reusable orange sack for cardboard, a reusable red sack for metals, plastics, and cartons, a roll of red bags for film, plastic bags, and wrapping, and a small white reusable sack for household batteries. Glass bottles and jars will also change to weekly collections.
Council Statement
A spokesman for Carmarthenshire Council said: "We’re introducing these changes in two phases across the county. We’ll write to every home in the county in the next few weeks to confirm whether you will change to the new separated recycling service from mid-late autumn 2026 or stay on the current mixed recycling (blue bags) service for now."
He added: "Homes changing to the new separated recycling service will be asked to sort their recycling into separate reusable sacks and containers. We will no longer collect recycling in single-use blue bags from these homes."
No Changes to Other Collections
There will be no changes to hygiene and nappy waste collections or garden waste collections. However, all homes may see changes to their collection day or week as the council aims to improve efficiency.
Residents do not need to take any action and should continue using their current service until contacted. The council stated: "We’re committed to making the transition as smooth as possible. Support will be provided to help residents adapt to the new service."
