County recycles 57% during first quarter of 2012/13

NEW figures released by Welsh Government show Carmarthenshire recycled 57% of its rubbish during the first quarter of this year.

The results from the Environment Agency’s WasteDataFlow system for April to June 2012 show a nine per cent increase in the county’s recycling rate for the same period the previous year.

Executive Board Member for Street Scene Cllr Colin Evans said: “I am delighted with these latest figures which show that here in Carmarthenshire we are doing very well in recycling our waste.

“I would like to thank householders for separating their rubbish so that it can be recycled and for making sure any food waste they have is composted by using their green food bin.

“The recycling rate does vary throughout the year and is generally higher in the summer months as people have grass to get rid of. However, we are confident that we will reach and even exceed the first statutory target for recycling which is 52% for 2012/13.

“I would urge residents to keep up the good work and make sure they reduce, reuse and recycle, particularly with the Christmas period coming up when we tend to have a lot more waste than usual.”

A number of initiatives are underway to help residents in the county to recycle and include the introduction of recycling banks for small electricals to a partnership with Age Cymru to help older people to recycle their rubbish.

A number of waste and tyre amnesties are also planned across the county to give people who might have difficulty getting to a recycling centre the chance to dispose of and recycle large bulky items of waste.

Announcing the figures, Environment Minister John Griffiths praised local authorities and householders for their efforts.

He added: “Wales is leading the way on recycling because the people of Wales are increasingly realising that burying their rubbish in the ground is no longer an option and are choosing more sustainable ways to manage their waste. I thank them for everything they have achieved to date.

“We must now keep the momentum going and continue to build on our recycling success so that we can meet our challenging targets of 70% recycling by 2025 and zero waste by 2050.”