Cardiff: The latest figures for the fourth quarter of 2008-09 show that Welsh households produced 4% less waste than they did for the equivalent period in 2007-08, announced Welsh Environment, Sustainability and Housing Minister Jane Davidson on Friday.
The Assembly Government points out that statistics are provisional and also that the overall share of municipal waste that was recycled, reused or composted for the whole of 2008-09 was 36 per cent, up 4 per cent on 2007-08, and keeps Wales on track to hit the 40% target for 2009-10.
Residual household waste (waste after recycling etc) in Wales was on average 75 kilograms per person, compared to 85 kilograms per person for the same period in 2007-08. The total amount of residual household waste per person for 2008-09 has decreased from 357kg per person in 2007-08 to 319kg per person for 2008-09. This is a remarkable reduction and probably reflects, at least in part, the world wide decrease in economic activity and consumption.
However, in Caerphilly total municipal waste arising increased by 2.9% in 2008-09 compared to the previous year. Neath - Port Talbot also showed a marginal increase, though can be considered as being more or less static on last years figures.
Ms Davidson said:
“The more we recycle and the less we throw away into landfill the less our impact will be on the planet. It is encouraging to see that levels of recycling have increased on the previous year and that the Welsh public have maintained their commitment to recycling.
“What we do with our waste will impact upon our children and grandchildren. We can no longer simply bury waste in the land to rot. Separating your waste at home is not a worthless task but one that has a real and positive impact on our world and on the future.”
Ambitious new recycling target
In April, Ms Davidson set an ambitious new target for recycling in Wales of 70%. This was part of the Welsh Assembly Government’s new waste strategy "Towards Zero Waste", which sets out Wales' strategy over the next 40 years. The strategy is out for consultation until July 22nd 2009 and can be found at:
http://wales.gov.uk/consultations/environmentandcountryside/wastestrategy/?lang=en .
Further information
More information on municipal waste in Wales can be found by visiting the Municipal Waste Management pages at:
http://new.wales.gov.uk/topics/environmentcountryside/epq/waste_recycling/municipalwastemanagement/;jsessionid=9WkSJvKD2YyvlldLQdXLQTJB2jgzxMwTtV8Cr3Tw8Pf284S60rh3!-1130397166?lang=en