Wales recycles or composts 48 per cent of its waste

Waste management figures from Wales have revealed that the country now recycles or composts 48 per cent of its waste, taking it a step closer to becoming a 'zero-waste' society.

Government figures have shown that Wales is racing ahead of the rest of Britain, as it bids to become a 'zero-waste' society. The average household in Wales recycled 48 per cent of their waste during the financial year 2011-12, which is a four per cent increase on the previous year.

These figures look set to reach the statutory target of 52 per cent in 2012-13, unlike its British neighbours, who are struggling to keep on top of their waste management goals.

England currently recycles on average around 40 per cent of its household waste, but the research shows that year-on-year increases are getting smaller, which means the country could be in for quite an uphill battle to meet EU targets.

Welsh environment minister, John Griffiths, said: "I am delighted that the people of Wales are managing their waste in a sustainable and environmentally friendly manner. I congratulate local authorities across Wales for their important role in achieving this impressive result."

Conwy and the Vale of Glamorgan were found to be improving the most, with both local authorities increasing their recycling by ten per cent. Bridgend has also seen substantial improvements in its waste removal, going from recycling just 31 per cent of municipal waste to 54 per cent in the last two years.

"The key thing now is that we continue to build on our recycling success so that we can meet our challenging targets of 70 per cent recycling by 2025 and zero waste by 2050," said Mr Griffiths. "I am very hopeful that this summer will see us breaking the 50 per cent barrier."

Under the EU waste framework directive, the UK must recycle, compost or reuse 50 per cent of household waste by 2020. However, similar legislation on a local level has only been replicated by Wales thus far.
 

Posted by Joseph Hutton