Wales Increases Its Recycling Lead Over The Rest Of The UK

Wales has increased its lead over the other UK nations in the amount of waste households sent to be recycled. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

UK Statistics on Waste (external link), published by Defra today, show Welsh homes recycled 55.8 per cent of their waste last year (2015). This compares to 43.9 per cent in England, 42 per cent in Northern Ireland and 42 per cent in Scotland. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

In the five years the household recycling rate has been measured by Defra, Welsh homes have improved their recycling rates from 44 per cent (2010) to nearly 56 per cent (2015), which is over eleven percentage points higher than the UK average (44.3). ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Environment and Rural Affairs Cabinet Secretary, Lesley Griffiths said: ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“I welcome these figures which show Welsh homes are leading the way in the amount of Waste sent for recycling. We are the only UK nation to set statutory recycling targets and our approach is clearly paying dividends as we lead the way in the UK. Welsh local authorities are already meeting the European target of recycling a minimum of 50 per cent by 2020 and we are well on the way to achieving our 70 per cent target by 2025. These figures are testament to the commitment of householders and Local Authorities across Wales.” ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Towards Zero Waste, the Welsh Government’s overarching strategy for waste, sets out how we will manage waste in Wales to produce benefits not only for the environment, but also for our economy and social wellbeing. The strategy outlines the actions we must all take if we are to reach our ambition of becoming a high recycling nation by 2025 and a zero waste nation by 2050. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​