Parents in Anglesey have hit back at council plans asking for them to show their children's birth certificates in order for bin men to collect their nappies.
The plan came about as part of the council's effort to hit recycling targets and avoid fines. Normal household waste in the area is now collected on a three-week rotation, and families have been told that they will only be eligible for a fortnightly nappy collection service until their child's third birthday.
Staff at the town hall said that waste management teams have 'evidence that most children are potty trained between ages of two and three'.
However, for many families, this is not the case - and they say the policy is unfair and does not take into account different rates of child development.
Steph Roberts from Gwalchmai, told The Mirror: 'I think it's disgraceful that they’ve placed an age limit on the service.'
'I have a three year old who’s currently being potty trained, and I know I’m not the only one in the same situation.'
Ian Cheney, whose 5-year-old daughter Olivia has Down’s Syndrome, was told that there was no exception to the rule for children with disabilities, and has been advised to contact the health board for assistance.
'I automatically assumed that Livy would be eligible for the council service because of her disability,' he said.
'She has some health issues related to her down’s syndrome, including holes in her heart and some difficulty walking. At the moment, with fortnightly collections, its a struggle but we usually make it. But we have no hope of being able to cope for three weeks.'
'The council obviously knows it hard for families to cope with three weekly collections, which is why they’ve brought in this fortnightly nappy service.'
'But Livy is obviously bigger than a toddler, so her nappies are also taking up more space. I’d have thought that disabled children who still need to wear nappies, would be automatically eligible.'
A spokesperson for the local council said: 'It has been agreed to offer this service up until a child’s third birthday.'
'Requesting a copy of a child’s birth certificate will allow us to monitor the number of children benefiting from the service and their respective ages.'
'It should be noted that this service will only be provided to the home address of the child and does not extend to any nursery, crèche or child minding service they may attend.'
They added that individuals with medical needs can contact the Offensive Non-infectious Household Waste Collection service, which is available upon request from the relevant health care provider.
