Residents in Neath Port Talbot are rising to the Recycling Challenge

Thanks to residents’ recycling efforts, performance in Neath Port Talbot has increased significantly.

Current performance based on figures from April to December 2014 now stands at just over 58% compared to 54% in the same period last year.

This means that the Council is well placed to achieve the Welsh Government’s target of 58% set for the end of March 2016.

The Council has introduced a number of measures over the last few years as part of its recycling revolution to help achieve strict targets set by the Welsh Government.

This has included a switch to smaller bins and the rollout of the Recycle+ service to some areas of the county borough, which has made it easier for residents to recycle more materials more often.

However, to improve year on year and achieve the next statutory recycling target which is set at 64% for the year 2019/20, the council needs to keep all aspects of the waste and recycling service under review.

This includes the removal of so-called ‘bring’ sites, usually in car parks, where residents can bring a range of materials to recycle. When the Council started to invest in recycling, these sites played an important role in providing recycling outlets. However, due to the development and the success of the kerbside recycling service, their use has reduced dramatically.

Removing the recycling banks at Milland Road, Neath, St. Mary’s Car Park, Port Talbot and Darren Road, Ystalyfera will also deal with issues around littering and arson at these sites.

The Council will also soon purchase more recycling vehicles, following funding approval from Welsh Government. There are already seven kerbside recycling vehicles in operation and the seven additional vehicles will help to continue the rollout of the Recycle+ service, and achieve our aim to extend this service across the County Borough.

Councillor Ali Thomas OBE, Leader of Neath Port Talbot Council said:” I would like to thank residents for their tremendous efforts in recycling so much of their waste.

“However, for a number of reasons, it is important that we continue to improve. Every tonne of waste sent to landfill costs the tax payer. Combined with ongoing budget cuts there is clearly a financial as well as environmental case for recycling as much as possible.”

More information about recycling in Neath Port Talbot can be found on the Council’s website www.npt.gov.uk/recycle