The latest quarterly recycling results show recycling, reuse and composting maintained its high performance from the first quarter of the year (April to June) when the combined rate also reached 58%.
The figures have been welcomed by the Welsh Government, but the overall rate for the year is expected to drop, with the summer months typically yielding the highest performance.
The figures show that the amount of household residual waste generated in Wales also fell to an average of 51kg per person in the same quarter, a 2% drop on the previous year.
In total Wales’ annual recycling average continued to climb from 53% for the 12 months ending September 2013 to 55% at the end of September 2014.
Rural authorities continued to record high recycling rates, with Monmouthshire council coming top with a 69% recycling, composting and reuse rate.
But when comparing rates in July to September2014 with the same quarter in 2013, it can be seen that Ceredigion had the biggest increase of 7% in its overall recycling rate, closely followed by Pembrokeshire and Neath Port Talbot which both recorded a 6% rise.
Cardiff
Cardiff recorded the lowest overall rate of the quarter with 49% – a 4% drop compared with the same period in 2013. This reflects lower tonnages of commingled recycling and food waste collected in the city.
In turn, Cardiff also recorded the largest increase in household residual waste arisings compared to the same quarter in 2013 – where the amount generated per person rose 24%.
The Welsh Government has set a goal to achieve a minimum recycling rate of 58% by the end of March 2016 – rising to 64% in 2019/20 and 70% by 2024/25.
Cardiff’s worrying decline was noted with the publication of the overall 2013/14 recycling figures in November, when Cardiff became the only council in Wales to drop back below the statutory target of 52% set for 2012 (see letsrecycle.com story).
Efforts
Commenting on the results today, minister for natural resources, Carl Sargeant, said: “I want to thank households and councils in Wales for their continued efforts and commitment to recycling. Welsh households are taking advantage of weekly food waste collections and campaigns such as Love Food, Hate Waste are helping people to waste less and save money on food shopping.
“The decrease in black bin waste is particularly pleasing, with Wales continuing to lead the UK in terms of recycling and moving towards a zero waste future.
“It’s important, however, that we are not complacent. Whilst our waste strategy is bearing fruit, it is clear that certain councils are performing better than others. There should be no excuses, we should all strive to do more and continue to improve in order to build on our recent recycling success and ensure Wales continues to rank among the best in Europe in terms of recycling.”
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