Cardiff is worst in Wales for household recycling
PEOPLE across Wales are recycling more of their household waste as the nation records one of the best recycling rates in the world.
However Wales’ capital city has the worst recycling rate and has fallen back over the past year, the latest figures published by the Welsh Government show.
Nearly two-thirds of all the municipal waste produced across Wales is now recycled (65.4%) as the Welsh Government pushes councils to achieve the target of 70% by 2024/25.
That figure for 2020/21 is up slightly from 65.1% a year earlier and compares well internationally. According to statista.com, the world’s leading recycling nations are Slovenia, which recycles 72% of its waste, Germany 67% and South Korea 65%, although these most recent internationally comparable figures are from 2019.
Just over half of Wales’ councils saw an increase in their recycling rates in the past year (13 out of 22); however the nation’s worstperforming local authority Cardiff was one of the areas where it fell for the second year in a row.
Recycling in Cardiff has fallen from 59.2% in 2018 to 58.1% in 2019 and 55.8% in 2020/21.
At the other end of the scale, Pembrokeshire has the best recycling rate at 73.2%. Ceredigion, Conwy and Vale of Glamorgan are also already at the level required by 2024-25, which is for 70% recycling.
The report accompanying the data shows the pandemic has impacted bin services.
It said: “The extent of the impact and reasons vary considerably by each individual Welsh local authority and therefore makes comparisons between previous years and the local authorities themselves challenging.
“It is unclear at present how much of this change will be long term, either due to decisions the local authorities have made or societal changes caused by Covid-19, or just temporary impacts from the pandemic.”
Household waste recycling centres were closed between April and June 2020 but also less waste was collected from these sources throughout the year to be sent for recycling.
During the pandemic, less waste was collected from commercial premises by councils. There were also disruptions to collections and dry recyclables were incinerated. There were changes to the type of waste collected, with increased food and glass collections due to lifestyle changes.
Welsh Government climate change minister Julie James said: “Our recycling stats are world class thanks to a team Wales effort. They show what we can achieve when government, business and the third sector work together towards a common goal.
“They also show that while investment and partnership working have been key ingredients of this success, ultimately this achievement has been down to people recycling at home in every part of Wales. Our move to a circular economy is good for helping our homegrown businesses flourish, while helping us decarbonise, reduce waste and support our recovery from the pandemic.
“As well as already having made a significant difference to our emissions, our excellent recycling track record is a fantastic platform for us to build on in tackling the climate and nature emergencies, so we can pass on a resilient, green and prosperous Wales to our future generations.”
Cardiff’s approach to waste collection has faced continued scrutiny. In the summer of 2021 there were complaints that missed collections resulted in nappies being left “stinking in the heat” in several parts of Cardiff. The amount having to be burnt at an incinerator was due to people putting waste in the wrong bags. And changes to the collection system left a backlog on the city’s streets.
Cardiff council has been asked to comment.