Wales has long been a stand-out performer in the UK when it comes to recycling rates and the new stats published today (10 November 2022) show that the national recycling rate has exceeded the statutory target of 64%, with a rate of 65.2%.
The Welsh Government’s £1billion investment since devolution in municipal recycling has helped see rates catapult from just 4.8% in 1998-1999, to more than 65% today.
In 2024-25, the statutory target will be raised to 70%, which has remarkably already been met by four Welsh local authorities: Conwy, Vale of Glamorgan, Bridgend and Pembrokeshire.
In total, sixteen of Wales’ twenty-two local authorities have exceeded this year’s statutory minimum target of 64%, with ten local authorities reported an increase in performance on the previous year.
The recycling rate is the percentage of local authority municipal waste that is reused, recycled or composted, and in a true Team Wales effort household waste per person has decreased when compared with last year’s figures.
This supports the Welsh Government’s ‘Beyond Recycling’ ambition which has set a bold target to achieve zero waste in Wales by 2050 by moving to a circular economy which keeps resources in use.
For further information please select the following link New stats show Wales remains a high recycling nation | GOV.WALES
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