'Waste less, recycle more and don't burn' - verdict on Waste Measure

23 February 2010

The Welsh Assembly Government's (WAG) proposed Waste (Wales) Measure announced today is a step in the right direction, but does not go far enough to meet the major challenges of climate change and resource depletion.

In response to the Measure, Friends of the Earth Cymru calls for more ambitious recycling targets and a binding target on reducing waste.

The group also wants WAG to drop incineration as an option for dealing with waste, as it would seriously risk undermining targets for recycling and waste reduction.

Haf Elgar, Friends of the Earth Cymru campaigner, said:

"Most disappointing is the lack of any target for waste reduction, which should always be the first consideration. Waste levels have been dropping recently, but strong targets are necessary to continue and speed this up. We need minimum targets for municipal waste reduction of 34% by 2025 and 65% by 2050 in this Measure.

"The Assembly Government's target of achieving 70 per cent recycling by 2025 is a step in the right direction, and it is encouraging that we will now have legally binding targets, but we must be more ambitious. Flanders and Germany are already achieving this rate. If Wales is serious about sustainability, we should be aiming for 70 per cent recycling by 2015 and 80 per cent by 2020.

"And with ash from the massive incinerators we may see coming to Wales being counted towards these targets, recycling will be further undermined and councils given a perverse incentive to burn our rubbish.

"Incineration is not a 'green' technology as it produces toxic ash, emits excessive amounts of carbon dioxide, and its use would weaken incentives to reduce waste and boost recycling.

"Friends of the Earth Cymru welcomes that the Assembly Government is addressing how we need to deal with our waste, but there is still a lot of work to do if we are going to transform Wales into a 'zero waste' society."

NOTES

For more information, see Friends of the Earth Cymru report 'Towards Zero Waste'. Full report | Summary

For further information, please contact Friends of the Earth Cymru on 029 2022 9577