Increased recycling production in Wattsville has led to residents becoming "crazy with rage"
Lorries are mounting curbs in this tiny village in Caerphilly to access a recycling plant. And it could get much worse.
Hello and welcome to The Valleys Lead.
We’re taking you to Wattsville in Caerphilly County Borough today, to hear from people who are worried about a 50 percent production increase at a recycling factory that can only be accessed using a narrow residential road.
The story is below, but first, thanks again for joining us this week. The Valleys Lead has been up and running for nearly half a year, covering exclusive, in-depth stories from the south Wales valleys. We don’t do clickbait, but cover the stories that matter to you, stories that inform you, stories that impact you and your community.
The Valleys Lead is subscriber based - we keep producing with both free and paid subscribers, so please do consider supporting local journalism by subscribing. If you want to support The Valleys Lead, it’s free to subscribe. Paid subscribers get a bit more for only £4.99 a month, or £49 a year.
It’s also free to share. And it would be a hugely appreciated if you did share The Valleys Lead with all your friends, acquaintances, and colleagues.
Finally, thanks to everyone who has been in touch thus far with story tips. Rest assured, if you come to me with a story, discretion can be guaranteed. We’d love you to get in touch at valleys@thelead.uk, laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com, or via Bluesky or Instagram with any stories you might have for us.
The Valleys Briefing
(A little round-up of some stories in brief from our valleys.)
A former pub in Pontllanfraith will be turned into new homes after plans have being given the green light by members of Caerphilly County Borough Council. GHR Developments Ltd will demolish the old Tredegar Junction Hotel on Commercial Street, and build 36 self-contained flats. Before the committee agreed unanimously to back the project, Councillor Mike Adams – who represents the Pontllanfraith ward – said he hoped the new homes would support people on the council’s lengthy housing waiting list. The Valleys Lead is keen to cover stories about housing solutions in the south Wales valleys. If you’d like to share what is happening around you, please email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com.
Now that David Hughes, a former Reform UK councillor in Merthyr Tydfil, has been elected as a Reform UK MS, a by-election will be held to fill his spot as a councillor for Dowlais and Pant. The list of people standing will be: Dean Barrett of Welsh Labour, James Cushen of Plaid Cymru, Janeen Davies of the Wales Green Party, Terry Donegan of Reform UK Wales, Nick Meaney who is an Independent, and Roxanne Richardson of the Welsh Conservatives. The by-election will be held on Thursday, 25 June. Information on how to vote can be found here.
The candidates for the Treorchy by-election have also been named. The poll is being held to replace Sera Evans, the former Plaid Cymru councillor for the area, who was elected to the Senedd in May representing Afan Ogwr Rhondda. Candidates are Daniel Buck of the Wales Green Party, Richard Clarke of Plaid Cymru, Craig Ford of Reform UK, David Morris of Welsh Labour, and Cerys Walker of the Welsh Conservatives.
Increased recycling production in Wattsville has led to residents becoming “crazy with rage”
Seven years ago, community members in the Ynysddu ward of Caerphilly campaigned against a planning application that had been put in to build a recycling factory in the narrow, steep sided village of Cwmfelinfach.
“We lost and the recycling factory on Nine Mile Point Industrial Estate was built,” Janine Reed, councillor for the Ynysddu ward, told The Valleys Lead. “It wasn’t wanted in this valley in the first place. To service all the waste (which comes mostly from England rather than Wales), large HGV lorries must go through our very narrow valley.”
To get to and from the Oakleaf recycling factory in Cwmfelinfach, Alorries must drive on a small residential road through the village of Wattsville, leaving people feeling unsafe, worried about their health from dust residue, and frustrated by the noise in the early mornings and late evenings.
“The pollution in the village is just below the legal limit,” said Reed. “When they dry the waste, the dust comes down as a fine layer and settling on a lot of the cars parked near the plant. People are breathing in this dust. The HGVs often mount the curb, especially if there are two coming towards each other. I have a video from a disabled chap who watched as a lorry mounted a curb just yards from where he was. The high speed from the lorries creates a suction effect.”
Currently, HGVs go through the village every three minutes according to a traffic survey conducted by Caerphilly Council.
And it’s about to get worse following a pre-planning application that has just gone into the council, according to Reed and her fellow Ynysddu ward councillor, Jan Jones.
