Council is now diverting more than 50% of waste from landfill

 MORE than 50 per cent of household waste in Carmarthenshire is no longer going to landfill.

This is because it is either being recycled or used to produce energy from waste.

We must reduce the amount of waste being sent to landfill as not only is space running out fast but it is polluting the environment and losing valuable resources.

Latest figures also show the county is now recycling almost 45 per cent of its rubbish.

The council’s director of technical services Richard Workman said: “We want to encourage residents to use their blue bags and green bins as much as possible to reduce the amount in black bags that end up on landfill sites.

“I am delighted that we are now diverting more than 50 per cent of our waste from landfill, but we must keep it up. The targets are going to get much tougher during the next few years so we must do all we can to recycle as much as possible.”

The council’s kerbside recycling scheme is now serving around 77,000 homes and the number of bring sites throughout the county is growing all the time.

The county must achieve a 52 per cent recycling/composting rate by 2012/13 and there are also strict targets on how much municipal waste can be landfilled. Failure to meet either of these could result in huge fines.

Executive board member for the environment Councillor Philip Hughes said: “The council cannot achieve these targets by itself, we need residents to do their bit. It is fantastic that we are now recycling 45 per cent of our waste, but I know that with a bit more effort we can do a lot more.

“By doing this we are helping to make Carmarthenshire a better place to live and protecting the environment for future generations.”