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You are here: CIWM  >  Publications  >  Latest News  >  Wales Recycling Hits 44 Percent

Wales Recycling Hits 44 Percent

29 June 2011

Wales' recycling rate has increased in 2010-2011 hitting 44 percent, according to data released by the Welsh Government this week

The preliminary report shows that 43.6 percent of municipal waste was recycled or composted, a 4.4 percentage point increase on 2009-2010's rate of 39.3 percent.

This is a greater increase than that experienced between 2008-2009 and 2009-2010, when the rate increased by 3.4 percentage points. The figures put Wales firmly on track to reach its 2012-2013 statutory target of 52 percent.

Recycling in Wales has increased significantly in recent years, with the 2010-2011 recycling rate more than six times that of 2000-2001 (7 percent). The nation has also enjoyed a series of waste milestones, including:

The only country in the UK to introduce statutory recycling targets for municipal waste

The only country in the UK in which all local authorities operate a separate food or food and green waste collection

The first country in the UK to introduce the Landfill Allowances Scheme

The first country in the UK to introduce compulsory charges for single-use carrier bags, in October 2011

Welsh Government Environment Minister John Griffiths said it was "excellent news for Wales, and is testament to the hard work and co-operation, which lie at the heart of the Welsh way of dealing with waste. Our residents and councils recognise that preventing waste and recycling aren't just about being green, but about social and economic benefits too.

"By 2014 we will face an additional £50m a year in landfill taxes if we continue to throw away the same levels of waste, so there is a financial imperative to recycle everything we can. In addition we know that high recycling equals more jobs. For example if adopted across the UK a 70 percent recycling target - Wales' target for 2025 - would create more than 50,000 new jobs.

"Wales' recycling rate grew faster last year than in the previous year, but this is not cause for complacency. We must ensure that we create the conditions in which recycling can continue to grow, and we must ensure that Welsh residents feel the benefits of reducing their waste and recycling more.

"Nowhere is this benefit better illustrated than in the way that we handle our food waste. Our priority must be to stop wasting so much food, but for inevitable food wastes - potato peel, apple cores and the like - we need a more sustainable solution than burying it in landfill. Separate weekly food waste collections work on three counts: they keep food waste from landfill; they help people to see how much food they throw away so they can change their habits and save money; and - when combined with weekly collections of recycling - they mean that there is no need for residual waste collections every week. Around 82 percent of households in Wales now benefit from food waste collections; this will rise to 90 percent by the end of this year."

For more information got to www.wales.gov.uk/topics/statistics/headlines/environment2011/110628/?lang=en