Carmarthenshire Council's 'Wash and Squash' recycling campaign

Carmarthenshire County Council is encouraging residents to take a few simple steps to support clean, high‑quality recycling and help reduce contamination as part of its ‘Wash and Squash’ campaign.
Households are being asked to rinse recyclable items to remove any leftover food or liquid before placing them in their blue recycling bags, and to squash or flatten items where possible. These simple actions help reduce contamination, save space in recycling bags, and ensure materials can be processed more effectively.
Many items, such as plastic bottles and cartons, can be safely flattened. However, some items don’t need to be squashed. Tins and cans, for example, should be rinsed but do not need to be flattened.
Residents are encouraged to watch the video and share it to raise awareness.
By washing and squashing what they can, residents can support high‑quality recycling across the county.
Carmarthenshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Transport, Waste and Infrastructure Services, Cllr Edward Thomas, said: “Recycling is something we can all do every day, and small changes really do make a big difference. By taking a moment to rinse items and squashing what you can, you are helping to reduce contamination, save space in your recycling bags, and support high-quality recycling across Carmarthenshire.”
To find out more, visit the Council’s A–Z Recycling Guide to check what items can go in your blue bags.
Most household items can be recycled, either in your blue bag, your food waste bin, at recycling banks or in our recycling centres. Anything that can be recycled is not allowed in your black bags.
Some items however cannot be recycled and should go in your black bag. This includes things like cat litter, tissues, kitchen/bathroom wipes and vacuum cleaner contents.
On average almost half the content of black bags in Carmarthenshire are recyclable.
By separating this recyclable material, the Local Authority hope to increase its overall recycling rate, helping Carmarthenshire to achieve the Welsh Government’s recycling target and avoid a hefty fine.
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