A KERBSIDE waste collection service for soft plastics such as carrier bags, food wrap, and plastic film could soon be introduced in Pembrokeshire, at a cost of nearly £1m over three years.

At the July meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council’s Cabinet, members are recommended to introduce a weekly kerbside soft plastics collection service for all households in Pembrokeshire, in addition to the existing recycling collections.

Cabinet is asked to approve the scheme be implemented by the end of March 2027 and to procure the necessary materials and treatment arrangements to support delivery.

At present soft plastics are not included in the ‘core’ set of materials collected by Pembrokeshire County Council.

The report ahead of that meeting says the four UK governments have previously stated that “recyclable plastic film and flexible packaging is to be collected for recycling from both households and businesses across the UK by March 31, 2027”.

The Pembrokeshire proposal follows a pilot scheme in the Vale of Glamorgan, and, based on modelling, it is estimated that Pembrokeshire could generate approximately 419 tonnes of recyclable soft plastics a year.

If approved, residents will be issued with an initial year’s supply of red tie-handle bags, the same colour as the existing plastics and cans recycling bags; the proposed plastics bags collected on a weekly basis.

In order to meet the Welsh Government’s target implementation deadline of March 31 of next year, it is proposed that bag distribution will take place from mid-February, with free additional bags provided after the initial roll-out.

The report says, at present, the recycling costs for soft plastic is above the cost for the material to be sent to Energy from Waste, but it is anticipated that the cost difference will decrease over time, with all costs for rollout and recycling offset through Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) funding.