| Wales' environment minister has urged
homeowners and businesses to recycle more than half of the country's
waste in 2012, building on its position as the country with
the highest recycling rates in the UK.
Environment Minister John Griffiths has hailed the achievement
of Welsh people, after figures showed they recycled 48 per
cent of the country's waste between April and June 2011, up
from just seven per cent in 2000/2001.
However, he warned against people "resting on their
laurels", urging them to aim to recycle more than 50
per cent of waste in 2012, in a bid to meet an overall
target of recycling 75 per cent of waste by 2025.
"A bit of extra thought and effort from all of us around
how we manage our waste should ensure that 2012 is the year
in which recycling in Wales peaks above the significant 50
per cent milestone," he said.
"This means recycling wherever possible and separating out
food waste to prevent it clogging up landfill sites. Hitting
50 per cent recycling would be a massive achievement and would
mean that we are diverting more than half our waste away from
landfill and gaining value from the majority of our rubbish."
Wales currently has the highest recycling rates of any country
in the UK and is the only one to introduce statutory targets
for municipal recycling. The first of which for local authorities
is 52 per cent for 2012-2013.
A recent report by Friends of the Earth showed that if the
rest of the UK were to adopt 70 per cent recycling targets
it could create more than 50,000 new jobs.
However, Griffiths warned that recycling alone was not the
answer to achieving the country's waste management targets.
"High recycling is an important element of sustainable waste
management, but it is not the whole picture," he said. "If
we are to meet the ambitions set out in our waste strategy
Towards Zero Waste we must continue to do everything
we can to prevent waste wherever possible and to become a
more resource-efficient society."
Recycling rates traditionally fluctuate throughout the year,
with the spring and summer months generating higher levels
of recycling and composting. The Welsh government hopes to
hit 50 per cent recycling in the spring and summer months
this year.
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