Welsh councils urged to recycle 70% of waste

But council chiefs have reacted with scepticism and said the target would be “massively challenging” and “heroically ambitious”, especially without massive investment.

Jane Davidson, the minister for environment, sustainability and housing, proposed the new rate at a meeting with council leaders and chief executives, last week. She said Wales had to “look at a harder focus” for targets in the future to combat climate change, reduce reliance on unsustainable landfill and meet EU targets for reducing biodegradable waste to landfill and boosting recycling.

Ms Davidson added: “Doing nothing beyond the current 40% recycling aim by 2010 is not an option because beyond that date the EU targets are set higher with the threat of fines if we do not meet them,” she added.

The proposal would see the recycling rate rising from 40% in 2009-10 to 52% in 2012-13 to 58% in 2015-16, to 64% in 2019-20, and to 70% by 2024-25.

Wales hit a recycling/composting rate of 27.6% for 2006/07, beating its target of 25%. The Welsh Assembly announced a recycling funding injection of £14 million earlier this month, which also included setting up Wales's first plastic recycling unit (see letsrecycle.com story).

However, local authorities have reacted with caution to the minister's proposal to boost the recycling rate to 70%.

WLGA

The Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA) chief executive Steve Thomas said: “We have to be realistic about what is achievable. The 70% target outlined by the Minister for 2025 is massively challenging for local authorities, even heroically ambitious.

He added: “If targets are to be the way forward then firstly the Assembly Government must look at whether it has the powers itself to bring about the massive cultural shift in consumer and producer behaviour that is needed and secondly whether commensurate levels of waste funding are available.”

The Association, which represents the country's 22 councils was also concerned about how funding could be provided to help local authorities meet the target.

Mr Thomas explained: “Whatever option we choose will require massive and increased investment. A recent report highlighted that an additional £86m was needed for local authorities to meet the 2010 diversion targets. Yet based on last week's Comprehensive Spending Review local government will only see a 0.8% real terms growth increase for waste management next year and 2% the following year.”

He added that councils would be meeting with the Assembly Government to discuss all the options and that they were looking at energy-from-waste as “potential solution” to the waste problem.