The latest recycling statistics are the highest quarterly recycling figures ever recorded for Wales, or indeed for any UK nation, he said.
The new figures show that Wales produced 388 thousand tonnes of municipal waste between July and September 2011, which was five per cent less than the waste produced in the same period in 2010.
They also demonstrate that per person residual household waste in Wales has continued to decrease, falling from 68 kilograms per person in July to September 2010 to 59 kilograms per person in July to September 2011.
The combined reuse,recycling and composting rate of local authority municipal waste also continued to increase to 46% for the 12 months to the end of September 2011, based on provisional data, compared to 41 per cent for the 12 months to the end of September 2010.
Mr Griffiths said: I am delighted that the people of Wales are continuing to manage their waste in a sustainable and environmentally friendly manner and I congratulate local authorities in Wales for their pivotal part in this success.
Not only are we recycling more than ever, we are also reducing the amount of waste produced in the first place. This is good progress and very much in line with the key principle of reduce, reuse and recycle.”
Mr Griffiths explained that one of the reasons for the progress was the fact that every local authority in Wales offers weekly food collection services.
‘Challenging’
However, the minister said it was important for Wales to build on its recycling success so that it could meet its challenging targets of 70% recycling by 2025 and zero waste by 2050.
I am very hopeful that continued effort in 2012 will see us achieving more than 50% recycling in the spring and summer months. This would mean we are diverting more than half our waste away from landfill and gaining value from the majority of our rubbish and really will be a significant milestone, he said.
Recycling rates traditionally fluctuate throughout the year, with the spring and summer months generating higher levels of recycling and composting. The Welsh Government hopes that Wales will hit 50% recycling in the spring and summer months of 2012.
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The data shows that Ceredigion in West Wales had the highest reuse, recycling and composting rate for the year ending September 2011, overtaking the previous top-performers Denbighshire and the Isle of Anglesey which each achieved 55% over the period.
The lowest performer was Merthyr Tydfil which achieved a 35% reuse, recycling and composting rate below the 40% target councils in Wales were meant to meet in 2010/11.
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