Powys county council has claimed it has reached the Welsh government’s 64% statutory recycling target for 2019/20.
Kerbside collections in Powys are undertaken by an in house team
An assessment undertaken by the local authority has shown that that its recycling rate jumped by more than 3% to 64.4%. The figures will now be submitted to the Welsh government.
However the figures may change as they are yet to be finalised the by the government and Natural Resources Wales.
The annual reuse, recycling and composting rates for local authorities in Wales will be officially published in the Autumn. Last year’s figures show Powys reached 61.4%.
Despite Powys increased success it is unlikely to be the top local authority for recycling rates, after Isle of Anglesey reached a rate of 69.9% last year.
Towards Zero Waste
The 64% target is set out in the Welsh Governments waste strategy ‘Towards Zero Waste’, which charts a path to zero waste by 2050.
Local authorities must submit figures of at least 64% this year 2019/20 to avoid a fine, and raise figures by 6% by 2024/25.
“This is a great milestone to have reached in our journey to a more sustainable future, but we must not rest on our laurels”
Councillor for waste and recycling Heulwen Hulme, said: “The Welsh government target of a 64% recycling rate across the country has been challenging, but as a result of some hard work and the commitment of our residents, it has been achieved.
“We’ve always known that Powys residents are good recyclers who take great pride in doing their bit for the environment, and meeting national recycling targets has confirmed this.
“This is a great milestone to have reached in our journey to a more sustainable future, but we must not rest on our laurels; we need to maintain this recycling while striving to increase our effort to meet the next target in 2024-25, when we have to recycle, reuse or compost 70% of our waste.”
And the authority this week has highlighted the impact on the coronavirus pandemic on its services.
In a statement Powys said that its weekly recycling service, which is undertaken by in-house crews, is collecting 13% more material than normal during the lockdown period.
Cllr Hulme commented: “We understand how difficult this current way of life is for many of our residents and we are grateful for their continuous recycling efforts and their support of our crews whilst they work hard to maintain these critical services and protect our communities at this time.”
Most local authorities in Wales have maintained recycling collections throughout the pandemic. (see letsrecycle.com story)
Cardiff however, said it had to temporarily send recyclables for incineration, but said that its recycling services will be returning to normal soon.
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Source: letsrecycle.com Waste Managment
