Residents praised for recycling efforts
Residents in Mid Wales have been praised for their recycling efforts. It comes after Powys has once again exceeded the Welsh Government’s statutory recycling target.
The county-wide recycling rate for Powys for 2022/23 was 68.1 per cent, beating the government target of 64 per cent, according to the latest data published by Stats Wales during Wales Climate Week 2023.
Wales outperforms other UK home nations when it comes to recycling and is currently one of the best recycling countries in the world, with an average recycling rate of 65.7 per cent.
Councillor Jackie Charlton, Powys County Council's cabinet member for a greener Powys, said: “Already recycling above the national average, Powys people are up there with the best of them when it comes to recycling, with county-wide rates continuing to rise each year.
“These official figures published during Wales Climate Week 2023 have confirmed that the hard work and commitment of our residents and crews is paying off. However, there is still more to do in the bid to tackle the climate emergency and to reach the next Welsh Government target of recycling, reusing, or composting 70 per cent of our waste by 2025.
“Going forward, we would like to encourage our residents to be more conscious about their consumer habits to help to achieve the sustainable future we all want and not create as much waste in the future.
“We also need to concentrate on making sure we are all recycling as much of our waste as possible. Currently over 30 per cent of the contents of our wheeled bins and purple sacks is made up of materials that could easily be recycled at the kerbside each week, including glass, cans, plastic tubs, card, paper, and a staggering amount of food. If we all recycled everything correctly each week, we would immediately increase our recycling rate by over eight per cent!”
“We already know that we are a county of conscientious recyclers who take great pride in doing our bit for the environment, and we have no doubt that together we will continue to make every effort to increase our recycling further and build a more sustainable future for the generations to come.”
For more details of what can and can’t be recycled through weekly recycling collections and at Household Waste Recycling Centres, visit powys.gov.uk/recycle
