NEWPORT City Council could face a £1.5 million fine if it fails to reach upcoming recycling targets, a report has revealed.

The authority has seen a steady increase in recycling rates since 2012, exceeding the Welsh Government target of 58 per cent in 2016/17.

The aim of the national strategy is for Wales to have zero residual waste by 2050.

But the council’s current performance would fall short of the 64 per cent target for 2019/20, and failure to meet this would land the council a £367,373 fine.

NCC also runs the risk of incurring a £1.2 million fine in 2024/25, where the statutory target will be 70 per cent.

The Welsh Government have previously waived two fines against NCC in recent years, with the council’s recycling rates consistently below the Welsh average.

Work to develop a new waste strategy for Newport started last year, but one money-saving proposal – three-weekly bin collections – has proved unpopular within the review group.

“The group could not support the introduction of three-weekly collection at this time, as there were existing problems being experienced by the public with the existing service,” a report reads.

Such problems include low recycling rates in certain areas, issues with the storing of recycling materials in flats and urban areas, poor communication with the public and fly-tipping.

The waste strategy policy review group is supportive of a new household waste recycling centre (HWRC) in the east of the city, together with the redevelopment of the existing Docks Way site.

But members have asked the council to “address the issue with the access currently being experienced to make it safer and easier for people to use and include a reuse shop for recycled materials”.

Members have also asked for the viability of creating smaller recycling-only sites within communities to be explored.

Trade waste collection could also be outsourced to a third party as part of the proposals put in a report to Councillor Roger Jeavons, cabinet member for Streetscene.

With the council unwilling to commit to three-weekly collections, funding for the new strategy would have to be found from elsewhere within its budget.

A final decision on the council’s strategy will be made by Cllr Jeavons next week.