Wales boosts recycling above 30%

Household recycling rates in Wales have risen by 4.5 percentage points in the last year, from 27.7% in 2006-7 to 32.2% in 2007-8.

The level of recycling in Wales is now catching up with England - English households recycle 33.9% of their waste - and is improving faster than in England.

Seven local authorities in Wales - Ceredigion, Conwy, Monmouthshire, Isle of Anglesey, Flintshire, Wrexham, and Torfaen - already have recycling rates above 40%, two years ahead of European Union targets.

Jane Davidson, Welsh Assembly Environment Minister, announced the improvements last week.

She said she is ‘delighted’ at the figures which show Wales making ’steady’ progress towards meeting its European targets.

The Wales Local Government Association said that it expects all local authorities will meet EU targets of 40% recycling by 2009-10 - and Davidson said progress this year corroborates the WLGA’s optimism.

WLGA spokesperson Aled Roberts said managing waste has become the top priority in local authorities across Wales.

According to Roberts, this focus has helped Wales to make huge improvements in waste collection, recycling collection and food waste collection.

Davidson added that the next target for the Welsh assembly is to meet the EU target of recycling 15% of food waste by 2013.

In the Welsh capital Cardiff food waste collections have already been rolled out in households across the city.