The data came from a report on the reuse, recycling and composting of local authority municipal waste for April 2021 to March 2022 with organics making up just over a third of the tonnage recycled.
The document noted that the Welsh national recycling rate fell from 65.4% in 2020/21 to 65.2% in 2021/22 but nevertheless stayed above the statutory target of 64%.
The report outlined that last financial year’s recycling rate is “slightly higher than the rate in 2019/20 (65.1%)”. It reasoned that the global pandemic had had an impact on the collection and management of local authority municipal waste.
Comparisons
It should be noted that the data published by the Welsh Government on November 10 is not comparable to the figure of around 44% recycling for England as this is a Waste from Households figure – the comparable Waste from Households number for Wales is around 56%.
The 65.2% municipal waste recycling rate includes all local authority-collected waste, such as waste from street cleaning and bins, parks and grounds – and waste that local authorities have collected from businesses. The recycling of construction & demolition type waste (i.e. rubble, plasterboard, soil) collected by local authorities, and incinerator bottom ash are also included.
Organics
One significant factor in the gap between England and Wales is food waste recycling. The significance of all Welsh local authorities having some form of food waste collection for households is reflected in the latest Welsh data with organics waste – food waste and garden waste – representing 34% of the waste collected for reuse/recycling/composting in Wales by material. The 34% is broadly similar to the volume collected a year earlier.
Local authorities
The document pointed out that the recycling rates across local authorities varied from 58.2% in Cardiff to 73.2% in Pembrokeshire.
While Cardiff failed to meet the statutory target in the past two years, it was amongst the local authorities that reported an increase in their recycling rate from 2020/21, it continued.
The report highlighted that out of the 22 councils, six failed to meet the target. These were Cardiff as mentioned, Torfaen, Isle of Anglesey, Carmarthenshire, Flintshire and Caerphilly. Apart from Cardiff, also below the target in 2020/21 were Flintshire, Torfaen and Caerphilly. The document stated that Isle of Anglesey and Carmarthenshire exceeded the target in 2020/21 but have now fallen below it.
Additionally, 2021/22 has seen four local authorities having already met the 2024/25 statutory target of 70%. The report listed these as Conwy, Vale of Glamorgan, Bridgend and Pembrokeshire. It read: “Of these four authorities, only Bridgend was below 70% in 2020/21, although this was a near miss at just over 69%,” adding that Ceredigion was also slightly below this year at 69.6%.
Targets
The nation’s recycling targets were set in the Welsh government’s waste strategy, Beyond Recycling, published in 2021. It also includes other targets such as recycling 70% of waste by 2024/25 and reducing the total amount of household waste collected by 2050.
The Welsh government pointed out that its £1 billion investment since devolution in municipal recycling has helped rates increase from below 5% in 1998/99 to today’s more than 65%.
‘Brilliant’
Commenting on the results, minister for climate change Julie James said: “These brilliant stats show us exactly what can be achieved when we all work together to tackle climate change and put in the hard work to ensure we’re building a green and prosperous Wales for future generations.”
Our recycling track record is a fantastic platform for us to build on to tackle the climate and nature emergencies – and now is not the time to get complacent.”
Ms James also mentioned the recent introduction of the bill to ban single-use plastic (see letsrecycle.com story) and added that Wales is “working to make sure those companies responsible for the most commonly-littered items cover the clean-up costs”.
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