And in the coming year the rate of improvement should continue as local authorities and the third sector are to receive more funding from the Welsh Assembly Government to increase their recycling rates.

The Landfill Allowances Scheme 2009/10 report reveals the amount of biodegradable material sent to landfill by the 22 Welsh local authorities, who have a duty to reduce this amount from a 2001/02 baseline.

All of them achieved their 2009/10 allowance obligations target during the 2008/09 financial year and, according to the new figures, continued to reduce the amount landfilled between April 2009 and March 2010.

"The Landfill Allowances Scheme has been a resounding success for Wales," said
Environment Minister Jane Davidson.

In the next year, £3.16 million will be available for local authorities to invest in source-separated recycling projects, while a further £1 million will contribute towards a new mixed plastics facility which will be operated as a social enterprise.

The funding will help councils develop the infrastructure they need to reach the high levels of recycling set out in Wales’ overarching waste strategy document Towards Zero Waste, said Davidson.

This includes creating facilities to recycle difficult to process materials such as mattresses and carpets which could generate revenue from the sale of recyclate such as steel from mattress springs.

Local authorities are also set to benefit from investment into a mixed plastics facility which will process plastics from a range of products including yoghurt pots, margarine tubs and other food containers.

Once operational, the facility will help councils save at least £3.8 million in landfill taxes alone every year, said the Welsh assembly government. It will also mean a significant reduction in residual waste, making fortnightly collections of household residual waste a more attractive proposition.

The Landfill Allowances Scheme (Wales) Regulations 2004 came into force in Wales on 1 October 2004, to reduce the amount of biodegradable municipal waste going to landfill sites.

> http://tinyurl.com/yd6wnvm