Welsh environment minister calls for councils to learn from each other

Welsh councils are currently drawing up strategies to meet the demands of the new Welsh waste strategy, Wise about Waste. Speaking at the annual conference of the Local Authorities Recycling Advisory Committee in Cardiff, Ms Essex said that it was vital for them to learn from high-performing councils.

She said: “My view is that with the kind of money we have put in and the kind of ideas there are in recycling, it's critical that local authorities see how it works before entering into long-term contracts.”

She pointed to the 'high exemplars' development scheme as being important for councillors to follow. Launched in July, the scheme sees five high-performing authorities given additional support and funding to see how they can get past a 40% recycling rate (see letsrecycle.com story)
. Ms Essex said that she hoped that the project would see the rate move past 50% in the councils within three years.

Funding
The Welsh environment minister said that Wales is now taking a lead on waste, and that it was a high priority for the government to get away from the principality's poor recycling record. The recycling rate of municipal waste was only around 5% in 2001, and at the moment around 93% is sent straight to landfill in Wales. But Ms Essex said the funding was now available for “dramatic change”.

“We're right at the beginning of developing our waste programme,” she said, “with 67m being made available over three years and 13m of credit approvals – this would be equivalent to 1.1 billion in England, so you can see that Wales is taking the lead on this.”

Targets have been set in the Welsh waste strategy of 15% recycling and composting by 2003-04, 25% by 2006-7 and 40% by 2009-10. Ms Essex said that European regulations are the critical driver, but added that public opinion was increasingly becoming an important driver of change as well.

Consultation
She advised local authorities to get businesses and community groups involved in their waste strategies, through consultations and partnerships. Waste strategies needed to reflect the views of key deliverers and key players, she said, taking advantage of all the knowledge, skills and experience possible.

• Click here
  to read about the Welsh waste strategy, Wise About Waste.
• More information on the guidance for local authorities issued by the Welsh Assembly can be found here.