Recycling: We’re still among the world’s best!

Householders in the Welshpool area should give themselves a pat on the back after the latest data published by Stats Wales confirmed that we are top dogs when it comes to recycling.

The Welsh Government has a target of 64%, but Powys has a county-wide recycling rate of 68.1% for 2022/23, with the news shared during Wales Climate Week.

Wales as a whole 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%.

“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,” said Cllr Jackie Charlton, Cabinet Member for a Greener Powys.

“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% 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% 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 8%.

“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 your weekly recycling collections and at our Household Waste Recycling Centres, please visit www.powys.gov.uk/recycle