THE Vale of Glamorgan have the second best recycling figures of every authority in Wales.
New figures show that the amount of household items being recycled in the Vale has gone up by nine per cent since March 2015.
The increase makes it the second highest performing of all 22 local authorities in Wales at a time when councils face heavy Welsh Government fines if they fail to reach national recycling performance targets.
The Vale has greatly exceeded the 58 per cent target set by ministers for 2016 and has also met the 64 per cent target, set for 2020, four years ahead of schedule.
From April, 1 2015 to March, 31 2016 the Vale Council recycled 65 per cent of the waste it collected.
Vale council cabinet member for visible, leisure and regulatory services, councillor Gwyn John said: “The national recycling figures released by Welsh Government show that councils across Wales are doing great work to get waste out of landfill and into recycling centres.
"Nowhere is this more true than in the Vale of Glamorgan.
"The Vale council works hard to keep residents informed about what can be recycled and the impact on us all of missing Welsh Government’s challenging targets. We have a highly dedicated team of refuse collectors who are out almost every day of the year and collect more than 50,000 tonnes of garden, kitchen and household waste every year.
“Most importantly, however, we have the residents of the Vale who each week work with us to sort their waste and put it out for collection.”
Cllr John thanked all Vale residents for their continuing efforts and support of its recycling schemes, particularly in light of recent changes to collection schedules, introduced to reduce operating costs while recognising the huge ongoing shift from black bag collections towards greater recycling.
He said: “I am very confident that by continuing to work together we can make the Vale one of the greenest areas in the county.”
To find out what can be recycled, visit http://www.valeofglamorgan.gov.uk/en/living/environment/recycling_and_waste/a_to_z_of_recycling/A-to-Z-of-Recycling.aspx
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