£3 million to help local authorities meet recycling targets

Four local authorities will get a share of a £3 million fund to help them meet statutory recycling targets.

Flintshire, Neath Port Talbot and Wrexham councils along with Newport City Council will receive funding to help them develop services aligned with the Welsh Government’s ‘Collections Blueprint.’

Specifically the funding will allow all four local authorities to invest in new vehicles, containers and depots and equipment. This includes new Resource Recovery Vehicles (RRV’s) and improvements to depots to enable the authorities to improve their recycling rates.

In adopting the Collections Blueprint – the Welsh Government’s recommendation for the collection of waste from households – all four local authorities will be ensuring that they comply with requirements to separately collect paper, glass, metals and plastics.

2015-16 is the first year that Local Authorities are required to meet a 58% statutory recycling target. All four authorities expect to meet this and future targets through the implementation of these changes which the £3 million will support.

The funding is part of the Collaborative Change Programme (CCP) – a joint initiative between Welsh Government and the Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA) and comes as Recycling Week gets underway.

Natural Resources Minister Carl Sargeant said:

“Thanks to the efforts of individuals and local authorities, Wales continues to lead the UK with its recycling performance and is the 4th best country in Europe at recycling.“The recycling of waste is important to our economy and can result in additional jobs and training opportunities as more material is managed through re-processors and re-manufacturers.

“I am pleased to allocate a further £3 million of funding to local authority partners to  help them meet future recycling targets and reduce service costs. As more local authorities adopt the collections blueprint there will be a more consistent universal service across Wales.”