Welsh Assembly environment minister Carwyn Jones revealed the latest waste statistics for Wales yesterday, showing that the Welsh municipal waste recycling rate has increased from 8.4% in 2001/02 to 12.6% in 2002/03.
The amount of municipal waste that was recycled or composted by local authorities increased by 56%, from about 144,000 tonnes in 2001/02 to 226,000 tonnes in 2002/03. Wales' household waste recycling rate was 12% in 2002/03, up from 8.7% in 2001/02.
The minister said: “This reflects an enormous effort by all of the local authorities, helped by the significant extra funding that the Assembly has been able to provide them. I am also extremely pleased that the people in Wales are playing their part in recycling their rubbish.”
Mr Jones said recycling rates had tripled since the Assembly was created in 1999. “The figures show that Wales is well on the way to meeting the 15% recycling target set for 2003/04,” he said.
Growth
But, according to the figures from the 2002-03 Municipal Waste Management Survey for Wales, the recycling success has been tarnished by a 4% growth in the amount of municipal waste produced – 1.79 million tonnes compared to 1.72 million the previous year. Waste from household sources in Wales accounted for 83 per cent of municipal waste in 2002-03 (1.49 million tonnes).
The minister said: “It is disappointing that everyone's efforts to recycle are being undermined by the ever increasing quantities of rubbish that are being produced. Some of this increase results from changes in people's lifestyles. However, more must be done to reduce the need for people to throw their rubbish away.”
The Assembly is working with Whitehall and the European Union to assess how best to persuade manufacturers to reduce packaging and provide products that generate less was, Mr Jones explained.
More information on the 2002-03 Municipal Waste Management Survey for Wales is available at the Welsh Assembly website. Results for 2003/04 are expected to be published in Autumn 2004.
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