RECYCLING BOOST FOR NEATH PORT TALBOT WELCOMED

Recycling efforts in Neath Port Talbot are to be boosted by an extra £2.1m over the next year, thanks to the Labour-led Welsh Assembly Government.

Neath Labour AM Gwenda Thomas has welcomed the announcement by the Welsh Minister for Environment, Sustainability & Housing, Jane Davidson AM, of additional cash to increase recycling and composting rates and to cut the amount of waste going to landfill in Neath Port Talbot.

The funding is part of a £50 million Wales-wide package to local authorities under the Assembly Government’s ‘Sustainable waste management grant’. This is an increase of £15 million over the previous year.

Welcoming the announcement, Gwenda Thomas said:

"This is a major investment in the way our waste in Neath Port Talbot is managed, which will lead to more recycling and composting and less waste going to landfill.

“The extra cash will support Neath Port Talbot Council as it moves towards the target for recycling and composting 40 per cent of waste by 2010 and I am pleased to see that the Assembly Government is asking councils to target the extra funding on looking at ways to recycle food waste.

"We have made a great deal of progress with recycling in Wales, with the Labour-led Neath Port Talbot Council making terrific progress in increasing the percentage of waste being recycled, with the award winning curb side recycling scheme being a particular success story.

Gwenda added:

“However, we still have a lot to do and today's announcement will lead to further progress at a time when more and more people of all ages are telling me that they want to do their bit for the environment.

“Climate change is one of the biggest challenges we face, and dealing with our waste effectively is one important way of tackling it. This investment clearly shows that the Labour-led Assembly Government is committed to a cleaner, greener Wales.”