Category: Featured

As part of Keep Wales Tidy’s Caru Cymru project we’re asking commercial operators and private tenants in the town centre to be responsible when it comes to their waste or face penalties which could result in the bin being removed.

The move comes after complaints about some areas being unsightly and attracting rats and other vermin.

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Letters have gone to identified premises asking them to ensure their bins are cleaned, locked and that no waste is left in bags as side waste. It also identifies that the problem is now encouraging vermin to the areas.

Cllr David A Bithell, Lead Member for Environment and Transport, said, “I went to several areas in the town centre recently and was shocked at how unsightly many of the public areas where bins are stored looked.

“Most of the bins I saw were on the public highway and were overflowing. There was also a lot of side waste waiting to be taken away often by town centre environment officers which means valuable time and cost to us.

“Everyone in all areas of Wrexham has a duty of care to make sure they dispose of their rubbish correctly and we regularly remind householders of this. It’s now only fair that commercial operators and town centre tenants are also asked to do the same particularly where problems have been identified.

“We are really trying hard ensure the town centre remains clean and tidy and this will only be achieved if we all work together to make sure everywhere is clean and tidy at all times.

“I hope the situation will be resolved quickly and that everyone plays their part in keeping Wrexham tidy.”

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We’re asking everyone to check their bin calendar as we approach Christmas to make sure they don’t miss any collections.

Some households will see changes to their regular collection dates over the festive period and this is a great way to keep on top of when you will need to put your bins out.

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You can take a look at the calendar here.

Other things to note

For the week beginning December 20, every household in Wrexham will receive a general waste collection (black/blue bin) alongside your recycling and food waste collections.

For the week beginning December 27, no households in Wrexham will have a general waste collection (black/blue bin) or garden waste collection (green bin) – we will only be collecting recycling and food waste from properties Wednesday-Friday for that week.

General waste collections start again the following week (week beginning January 3) when everyone household in Wrexham will receive a general waste collection (black/blue bin) alongside your recycling and food waste collections. Even though it’s a bank holiday, our crews will be working on Monday (3rd).

Check your bin calendar now!

Extra recycling

If your recycling boxes get full, you can leave any extra recyclables in solid containers next to your other recycling on your collection day and we’ll recycle the materials (leaving the containers behind for you to reuse again).

But if you do have extra recycling, please separate the materials as you usually would…for example, if you have extra plastic bottles and glass, please put the plastic in one container and the glass in a separate container.

Also, we will collect clean, flattened cardboard left by recycling containers as long as it is no larger in height or width than a standard issue blue sack.

Households that missed out on having their recycling collected on Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 December can leave any extra recycling to be collected the following week (week beginning January 3), as long as it’s presented in the manner above.

Recycling centres

Many residents make use of our three recycling centres throughout the Christmas period, but it’s really important to plan your visit in advance so that your visit is as quick and smooth as possible.

Caddy liners

Remember, any residents who need further liners can just tie a liner to the handle of their kerbside caddy on collection day and our operatives will leave you a new roll.

Or you can now collect at caddy liners at over 40 locations in Wrexham too  https://news.wrexham.gov.uk/recycling-pick-up-caddy-liners-and-blue-sacks-at-over-40-locations-in-wrexham/

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Visitors to the town centre during the evenings can be assured of a safe haven if they feel unwell or run into problems as Hafan y Dref welfare centre gears up for the busy Christmas period.

The welfare centre is operated and staffed by Events Medical Team www.eventsmedicalteam.com and whether you’ve lost your friends, have no battery power on your phone to call them or get too drunk to get home they are there to help and offers a safe place to keep you out of harm’s way.

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Where is Hafan y Dref 

Hafan y Dref is in part of the toilet block at the bottom of Town Hill – Atik nightclub. So it’s easy to find. They’re open Fridays and Saturdays 10pm – 4am

The Centre is one of several initiatives that are in place in the town centre to assist anyone who needs help during a night out and they are supported by door staff, police officers, street pastors and of course family and friends.

Claire McGrady, T/Inspector with North Wales Police said, “The centre is there to help if you need it. It has a proven record of reducing pressures on the emergency services and of providing immediate assistance to anyone needing help.

“They also don’t pass judgement – they’re there to help and prevent any unnecessary harm or distress to anyone needing it.”

Cllr Hugh Jones, Lead Member for Communities, Partnerships, Public Protection and Community Safety, said, “It’s good to know that we can still offer such an excellent facility for anyone who needs help during an evening out.

“We’re all aware of the pressures that are facing our emergency services as we enter the winter period and this centre will help reduce calls to them whilst ensuring the safety of everyone who needs help.”

Hafan y Dref was first opened in December 2015 with the aim of providing a safe space where people who have become vulnerable due to consuming too much alcohol or taking drugs can receive medical attention and support.

It provides a combination of medical assessment, supervised recovery and discharge.

The centre also provides other services, such as pastoral care, help for rough sleepers and advice to those who are lost or need to go home. It also can provide a physical base for partners managing the local night time economy.

If you’re looking for a new career and want to help people in your community, a job in social care could be the right move.

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Still need that special Christmas gift that’s affordable and in great condition? We know just the place where you can find it, plus you get the added benefit of supporting a fantastic local charity when you purchase.

Look no further than the Nightingale House Hospice reuse shop in Bryn Lane recycling centre! It’s sometimes referred to as a bit of an Aladdin’s cave (although Santa’s grotto might be more appropriate).

As we continue to get closer to Christmas there’s so many things you can get from the reuse shop to help spread some festive cheer.

Cllr David A Bithell, Lead Member for Environment and Transport, said: “The reuse shop sits within Bryn Lane recycling centre and it’s a place where you purchase really good quality items that have been recycled. They always have a wide range of stock at extremely good value and we’d encourage everyone to go there and see for themselves.

“You can donate items with resale value at any of the three recycling centres and they’ll be passed on to the reuse shop. Whether you’re buying or donating, you’ll be helping a great local cause in Nightingale House Hospice who do truly wonderful work in the local area.”

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If you need help filling up those stockings…

Then the reuse shop can definitely help you out. If you’re thinking of buying a TV, go over and take a look…there’s usually an abundance of them in stock, with varying sizes to choose from.

And if you’re unsure about buying a used TV, please know that all items are cleaned and safety tested before they’re sold 🙂

But if you’re after something a bit smaller, there’s usually a selection of items such as gift sets, toys, computer games, board games and cool ornaments to fill up those stockings.

Fancy a movie night?

Great! There’s a large selection of DVDs you can pick from at a reasonable price. Whether it’s a rom-com, kids film, action or horror movie you’re looking for, there’s likely to be a film to suit your mood.

Looking to get fitter in 2022?

A popular New Year’s resolution is getting a bit fitter and always a good starting point for this is cycling.

Need a bike? You’re in luck!

The reuse shop has many, many bikes that you can choose from. Children’s bikes or adult bikes – whatever you’re looking for – the reuse shop is bound to have something that fits the bill 🙂

Let’s face it, there’s not many people who wouldn’t want a bike for Christmas. All the bikes are stored outside the shop for you to give them a thorough checking over, so come and pay a visit.

Regift your unwanted presents

At one time or another we’ve all received Christmas presents that don’t quite hit the mark 🙁

But just because it’s not your cup of tea, this doesn’t mean that it wouldn’t be perfect for someone else. Regifting involves giving your unwanted gifts to others and the reuse shop would be very grateful if you’d consider donating these items to them.

You can donate to the re-use shop at any of the three recycling centres; just speak to one of the attendants who’ll point you in the right direction.

Donate all year round

You can make donations to the reuse shop all year round, so if it gets to January and you don’t want to store your artificial Christmas tree or decorations until the following year the shop will be happy to take them off your hands.

The shop will store the items and sell them on the following year. They will gladly accept your donations even if they’re out of season.

Opening hours

The reuse shop is open daily between 9am – 4.30pm, but will close for Christmas on Wednesday, December 21. Please bear this in mind if you’re planning to pop in.

The shop will then reopen in the new year on Tuesday, January 4.

If you’re looking for a new career and want to help people in your community, a job in social care could be the right move.

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Christmas is merely weeks away now, so you’ll likely be stocking up on things like wrapping paper, gifts and festive cards to bring some cheer to family and friends.

When you’re buying stuff for Christmas, please consider whether or not these things are recyclable. We’re continuing to get better at recycling in Wrexham, and we need to keep our momentum going all the way through the festive period.

Cllr David A Bithell, Lead Member for Environment and Transport said, “When you’re buying the different things you need for Christmas, please try to look for materials that can be recycled wherever possible. Wrapping paper is a perfect example to use, as some people think all wrapping paper can be recycled, but this isn’t the case. So, it’s important to stay on top of which ones can be recycled so that you can make informed choices when buying these items. Christmas is a period where people have larger amounts of materials than usual, and we want to make sure we recycle as many of them as we can.”

Which materials can I recycle?

Don’t stress – we’re going to run through a variety of common Xmas items to give you all the information you’ll need around which ones can or can’t be recycled. By the end, you’ll have everything you’ll need to make informed recycling choices.

So, lets kick off with wrapping paper…

Wrapping paper

As Cllr Bithell touched upon, not all types of wrapping papers are recyclable. The shiny foil wrapping is non-recyclable, so please stay away from this. Wrapping with glitter is also non-recyclable.

Most other shiny wrapping papers are laminated, making them non-recyclable too. You also need to look out if the paper has any plastic add-ons and avoid these.

The good news is all other wrapping papers should be fine to recycle. If you stay away from foils, glitters, laminated paper and any plastic add-ons, you should be able to recycle all your wrapping paper when you’ve finished with it…just make sure to remove any sticky tape beforehand 🙂

Tip: Christmas cards (without glitter and any bows removed) as well as envelopes can be recycled in your blue bag/top wheelie box. Paper and card gift bags can be recycled here too – just remember to remove any non-recyclable handles.

Cardboard

There’s always plenty of cardboard boxes involved at Christmas and it’s important to recycle these. Just make sure to remove any tape, staples, bubble wrap, plastic film etc before recycling your boxes.

Unfortunately, some of us aren’t doing this…we’re just taking our item from the box and not thinking about what other materials might be left behind.

Plus, if you flatten your boxes before recycling them in your blue bag/top wheelie bin, it’ll leave much more room for the rest of your cardboard and papers

If you have extra cardboard to recycle: We will collect clean, flattened cardboard left by recycling containers as long as it is no larger in height or width than a standard issue blue sack.

Tip: Please remove any additional wrapping, such as polystyrene or films, from cardboard boxes before recycling them.

We’re unable to collect any extra bags of general rubbish left at the side of your black/blue rubbish bin. This waste will need to be put in your rubbish bin ready for your next scheduled collection or taken to one of our recycling centres.

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Reusing items

Decorative bows and ribbons are non-recyclable, so if you use any of these please consider storing them away and reusing them the following year.

If someone surprises you with a new TV or Blu-ray player, please think about what to do with your older models. The Nightingale House reuse shop in Bryn Lane recycling centre would be happy to take them off your hands.

You can also donate any unwanted Christmas gifts to the reuse shop. We’re sure they’d be very grateful.

Bottles and cans

You’ll probably have more glass bottles, plastic bottles and aluminium cans than usual at Christmas but please remember to recycle them the same as you would for the rest of the year.

If your recycling boxes get full, you can leave any extra recyclables in solid containers next to your other recycling on your collection day and we’ll recycle the materials (leaving the containers behind for you to reuse again).

But if you do have extra recycling, please separate the materials as you usually would…for example, if you have extra plastic bottles and glass, please put the plastic in one container and the glass in a separate container.

Tip: Large sweet tins can be recycled alongside your cans and plastics in your wheelie box/recycling boxes.

Food waste

Christmas also means lots of turkey bones and leftovers that can be recycled in your food caddy, so don’t neglect food recycling.

For a reminder on what foods are recyclable, please take a look at this.

Don’t forget, if you’re running low on caddy liners, just tie an empty liner to your caddy handle on your collection day and we’ll leave you a new roll, free of charge. Simple!

Or if it’s easier, you can grab some of our free caddy liners from one of the many locations that stock them for us in Wrexham – there’s now over 40 venues that do so! Take a look at the full list here…

Tip: You can take real Christmas trees to be recycled at our recycling centres, if they won’t fit in your green bin.

Household recycling centres

You can take many other items to one of our recycling centres to be recycled. Take a look at this list of materials we can recycle at our recycling centres.

Thanks for taking the time to read this blog, and as always thanks for recycling 🙂

If you’re looking for a new career and want to help people in your community, a job in social care could be the right move.

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As Christmas approaches lots of us are gearing up for Christmas nights out with friends and families so we’re reminding everyone of the need to check that any taxi you get into is properly licensed.

There are some car owners out there who will take advantage of people at the end of their evening and take their money without being a properly licensed and legal taxi driver.

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If they’re not licensed they’re not insured which means it could be costly for you further down the line should anything happen.

Here’s some useful tips to keep  you safe

• All private hire or hackney cab vehicles will be displaying white and purple coloured license plates which should be on the outside of all vehicles.
• A licensed Hackney Carriage will display a rear plate and an illuminated roof sign displaying the word ‘TAXI’.
• Private hire vehicles will also have yellow adhesive signs in the rear windows.
• All drivers will have an ID badge with their name, photograph, license number and expiry date.  If you can’t see it please ask to see it before you set off.

Many unlicensed taxi drivers may be driving in busy streets or hovering about busy night spots for unsuspecting individuals or groups so please always check to make sure you’re not becoming part of a scam.

If you suspect that someone is acting as an unlicensed taxi, you can report this to the Licensing Section on 01978 297441, email licensingservice@wrexham.gov.uk  Or alternatively contact the Police on 101. You can remain anonymous if you wish.

If you’re looking for a new career and want to help people in your community, a job in social care could be the right move.

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