As Wales鈥� recycling rate reaches an all-time high, we鈥檙e calling on our residents to keep up their 鈥榤ighty鈥� efforts when it comes to recycling this Christmas.聽
With 94% of us recycling regularly*, Wales is a nation of Mighty Recyclers. We鈥檙e the world鈥檚 third best recycling nation, and we鈥檙e backing Wales Recycles鈥� Mighty Mission to get to number one.
The latest data reveals we鈥檙e one step closer to reaching the top spot with Wales鈥� overall recycling rate increasing to 65.4%**. This means we鈥檙e currently recycling just over 65% of our overall waste, exceeding Welsh Government鈥檚 鈥楤eyond Recycling鈥� strategy target of 64% for this year.
A survey compiled earlier this year revealed that over 8 in 10 Welsh citizens now see recycling as the 'right' thing to do, with 7 in 10 recycling to do their bit for the environment***. More of us than ever see recycling as part of our day-to-day routine. Interestingly there has also been a big jump in the number of us citing environmental concerns as our key motivator to recycle. This is fantastic, but with almost half of us still not recycling everything we can, there is more we can do to ensure that our recyclable items are put out with our recycling kerbside collections every week.
If we鈥檙e to help Wales get from third in the world to first, and continue protecting our precious resources, we all need to ramp up our efforts this festive period.
Christmas is traditionally the time of year we create the most waste at home. From all the extra food we buy to the mountain of packaging from Christmas gift purchases, it鈥檚 a great opportunity to make sure we鈥檙e recycling everything we possibly can.
That鈥檚 why we鈥檙e supporting Wales Recycles鈥� Be Mighty. Recycle. campaign, funded by Welsh Government, to encourage everyone in Wales to be Mighty Recyclers this Christmas.
Councillor Joanna Wilkins, Executive Member for the Environment says:
鈥淲elsh citizens are showing they鈥檙e MIGHTY when it comes to recycling and we should all be proud of our efforts, but there is still more we can do. We鈥檙e calling on our residents to keep up the good work over Christmas to help get Wales to No. 1, especially as this time of year when we consume and purchase a lot more than usual鈥�.
鈥淲e know people in Wales care about protecting our beautiful country and recycling plays an essential role in tackling climate change. It鈥檚 a simple action that everyone can do to help make a real difference鈥�.
Follow these top tips to be a Mighty Recycler this Christmas:
鈥� Eat, recycle, be merry. Every Council in Wales provides a weekly food waste recycling collection service. Please use it. You can recycle turkey bones, veg peelings and any leftovers that can鈥檛 be safely eaten later! And keep recycling other food waste over the Christmas period too, such as tea bags and coffee grounds, eggshells, peelings and cores from fruit, and stale bread.
鈥� Conquer your cardboard this Christmas. You can recycle all cardboard from your online deliveries. Remove all packaging tape and flatten any boxes or cut them into smaller pieces to save space in your recycling bag, bin or box. Once Christmas is over, recycle all your cards, just remove any badges, bows, foil, glitter and ribbons first, as these bits can鈥檛 be recycled.
鈥� Most plastic items from around the home can be recycled including drinks bottles, cleaning detergent bottles and toiletry bottles. Just empty, rinse and squash them before recycling. Leave on any lids, labels, pouring spouts and spray triggers, as these are removed in the recycling process. You can also recycle the big plastic tubs of chocolate and sweets most of us have around the house at Christmas!
鈥� Don鈥檛 overlook foil this Christmas. Recycle your empty foil mince pies cases and any foil used in your Christmas cooking as long as it鈥檚 clean, unstained and free from food, grease and oil. Rinse foil trays and containers before recycling them.
鈥� Metal food and drinks cans are recyclable. Just give cans a quick rinse first.
鈥� Wrapping paper is difficult to recycle but there are some great eco alternatives such as brown paper and cloth wrapping that can be spruced up with festive bows and ribbons, and the great thing is, they can be used again next year!
If you鈥檙e unsure what you can and can鈥檛 recycle, visit Wales Recycles鈥� Recycling Locator.
To learn more about Wales Recycles鈥� 鈥�12 days of Christmas鈥� recycling facts and tips, visit www.bemightyrecycle.org.uk or join the conversation on social media using #BeMightyRecycle and #BeMightyChristmas.
______________________________________________________________
* WRAP National Recycling Tracker (Wales), March 2021
** Stats Wales
*** Icaro Post-Burst 3 Survey, April 2021