FRUSTRATED Newport residents desperate to overturn a ban on them being allowed to use a recycling centre which is just a stone's throw from their homes have been dealt another blow.
Langstone residents live just a few miles from the Five Lanes recycling centre - but have been banned from using it since 2019 as it is just over the border in Monmouthshire.
Although talks have previously been held around allowing people living in the Newport ward to use the centre, these have since come to nothing.
Bob Shepherd, who lives right on the Newport-Monmouthshire border in Penhow, said that councils should be making it easier for people to recycle.
“Five Lanes is a mile and a half down the road from where I live,” Mr Shepherd told the Argus.
“Ever since I’ve lived here people have always used Five Lanes – now we’re faced with making a 20 mile round trip to the tip across to the other side of the city.
“Also, from a carbon footprint point of view, it makes no sense to travel that far when we know there’s one just up the road.”
In 2019, the Welsh Government declared a climate emergency in Wales, and currently requires Wales’s 22 local authority areas to reach a target of recycling 70 per cent of waste by 2024-25.
A chief criticism from residents is that the policy of not allowing them to use the Five Lanes centre is forcing them to drive some 20 miles to Newport's recycling centre in Maesglas – which they argue is increasing their carbon footprint unnecessarily.
Councillors Ray Mogford and Will Routley, who both represent the Langstone ward, have now called for a Wales-wide strategy and want to see the Welsh Government scrap its current recycling targets for local authorities.
“We’ve exhausted every avenue in our efforts for residents,” Cllr Routley said.
“It feels like we’ve come to the end of the road because the Welsh Government’s current recycling targets are stopping cooperation’s between individual authorities.
“Ray and I want to see an all-Wales strategy to help solve this problem, given that the Welsh Government declared a climate emergency last year.”
The pair have previously met with Monmouthshire County Council's cabinet member for infrastructure and neighbourhood services Cllr Jane Pratt to discuss the issue.
Cllr Mogford said he was disappointed that a collaboration between Newport and Monmouthshire was not able to take place.
“We thought it might be something we could achieve,” Mr Mogford said.
“So, we’ve hit a dead end in that sense, but we’ll continue to push the Welsh Government to reconsider.”
It is understood that Newport City Council does have plans to build a recycling facility in the east of the city.
A spokesperson for Newport City Council said: "A proposal for a second household waste recycling centre in the east of the city is in the council’s corporate plan but no further details are available at the present time.
"However, the council is providing much improved access to the existing HWRC. The booking system, extended opening hours and improved layouts, mean no queuing and most visits take no longer than five minutes."
The Welsh Government has also been approached for comment.
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