Slight drop in Wrexham’s recycling figures echoed across Wales

The amount of waste recycled by Wrexham Council over the past 12 months has dropped on previous years.

New figures show that Wrexham’s recycling rate was 65.4 per cent for 2017/18 – a slight drop of 3.3 per cent on the county’s previous high of 68 per cent on the previous period.

Overall recycling levels in Wrexham have been increasing for several years, with recycling rates for the borough standing at just 3 per cent back in 2002/2003.

In recent years the local authority has increased the ways in which residents can recycle, with homes across Wrexham receiving either new black bottle boxes, food caddies  and wheelie boxes.

Cllr David A Bithell, Lead Member for Environment and Transport, said: “The slight drop in figures was not just limited to Wrexham alone – this matched a national trend which saw figures dip slightly across Wales.

“However, we have recently rolled out more food caddy liners to homes due to public demand, and this and similar moves will help us reach the Welsh Government’s target of 70 per cent.”

The drop in local recycling rates is a theme that is mirrored across Wales, with figures dropping for the first time in two decades.

For 2017-18, the percentage of municipal waste that was reused, recycled or composted across the 22 Welsh local authorities fell to 62.7 per cent, from 63.8 per cent in 2016-17.

Despite the slight drop, the overall performance in Wales remains first in the UK, second in Europe and third in the world for household recycling.

Last week Environment Minister, Hannah Blythyn announced new measures to continue improving recycling rates in Wales. This includes a new £500,000 behaviour change and enforcement campaign to raise public awareness of what households should recycle will get underway, working in partnership with Local Authorities and WRAP.

The Welsh Government also plans to consult on new statutory guidance for local authorities and introduce new regulations requiring businesses to separate their waste in the way households already do.

Welsh Ministers are also in discussions with the UK Government on possible taxation measures to tackle plastic waste, including a potential tax on single-use plastics.

Hannah Blythyn said “recycling is a Welsh success story and something we should be proud of”.

“People in Wales have embraced the need to recycle and the Welsh Government and our partners have supported this through innovative policies, financial support and education campaigns,” she continued.

“But we want to do more. Improving recycling rates again will require further support and more concerted and intensive interventions.

“Over the next three years we are providing more than £50m of capital to provide new infrastructure and ultimately help realise our ambition. We’re also working with local government to increase their ability to recycle items like mattresses, nappies, wood and textiles.

“Wales leads the way on recycling in the UK, but we are not complacent. We want to continue working with our partners, and the people of Wales, to go from first in the United Kingdom, to first in the world.”