THE county council has confirmed it does not employ officers to monitor and enforce waste regulations, and said there are no penalties directly associated with being in breach of them, as is the case in other counties in Wales, such as Carmarthenshire, because the process can be “onerous” and expensive.

A Ceredigion County Council spokesperson said: “The vast majority of Ceredigion’s residents and visitors value and respect the local environment and manage their waste responsibly.

“This view is supported by the fact that Ceredigion has consistently and continues to return very positive results in respect of the Local Environment Audit Management System (LEAMS) surveys undertaken.

“In most cases domestic waste should be presented for collection by 8am on the appropriate day.

“There are no penalties directly associated with failing to comply with this.

“There are no dedicated officers employed by the Authority to solely monitor and enforce waste related issues.

“The pursuance of successful enforcement in response to this type of issue can be onerous, resource intensive and challenging.

“However, should an issue be deemed sufficiently serious, significant and ongoing, taking into account the available resources and other priorities, then enforcement action can be considered.

“The Authority implements various measures with a view of positively influencing behaviour affecting the local environment which includes ongoing community engagement and education activities undertaken as part of the Caru Ceredigion initiative.

“Ceredigion County Council is eager to work with all other stakeholders who have an involvement and interest in maintaining the local environment and in promoting the positive profile the County and its main centres, including Aberystwyth, deserve.”