Important information for purple bag collections

Households who have registered for Bridgend County Borough Council’s purple bag recycling collections are being reminded that if they don’t put out any bags on three consecutive occasions over a six week period then it will be assumed they no longer need the collections.

However, if they do still require the fortnightly collections then they will need to re-register.

Over 10,200 homes currently receive the purple bag collections which enable residents to recycle disposable nappies and other absorbent hygiene products (AHP) at home.

In total, the AHP service caters for children’s nappies, wipes, paper tissues, stoma bags, adult incontinence nappies and pads, absorbent bed sheets, plastic gloves and disposable aprons. It doesn’t cater for feminine hygiene products – these should be placed in bin bags with other non-recyclable waste.

Once collected from the kerbside, the purple bags are taken for processing at the pioneering Nappicycle plant in Ammanford where they recover all recyclable materials. The cellulose fibres from nappies are recycled into fibre boards and acoustic panelling, while the plastics are sent for further re-processing.

During the last year, 1161 tonnes of AHP waste has been recycled from Bridgend County Borough instead of ending up in landfill, which is the equivalent in weight to 92 double decker buses!

If they aren’t recycled, disposable nappies can take up to 500 years to fully break down, so we’re really pleased that the numbers of nappies that we are sending to landfill has been dramatically reduced in the two years since we introduced this service.

It’s important for residents who receive the collections to know that if they don’t present any bags on three consecutive occasions then we’ll assume they don’t need them anymore. Also, please remember that the purple bags are for AHP waste only – if they are seen to be contaminated with other types of household rubbish then the crews will leave them at the kerbside.”

Councillor Hywel Williams, the council’s Deputy Leader

To register for purple AHP bag collections, or to request another roll of bags if you are running low, please visit https://bridgend.kier.co.uk, call 01656 643643 (+option 2) or email recyclingandwaste@bridgend.gov.uk