Cllr Aled Davies, Leader of the Welsh Conservative Group on Powys County Council, has expressed his disappointment as Powys becomes the only council in Wales to see a fall in the amount of municipal waste being recycled or composted.
The 2010-11 Local Authority Waste Management Report for Wales stated that the amount of waste in Powys being reused, recycled or composted has fallen from 39% in 2009/10 to just 37% in 2010/11. Most other councils in Wales now show figures of 40-55%
Commenting, Cllr Davies said:
“I am disappointed to see that Powys has been unable to show the increase in the recycling and composting of waste that other councils have demonstrated. The report clearly states that there has been a ‘general upward trend’ in the percentage of local authority waste being reused, recycled or composted since 2001, but Powys is a notable exception.”
Cllr Davies went on to say that he found it ‘alarming’ that recycling rates in Powys have been on the decline from as early as 2008/09, a year in which the amount of waste that Torfaen Council reused, recycled or composted increased by nearly 10%.
“I think that these figures paint a stark picture, and it is clear that current strategies for improving waste management are failing. I find it puzzling that the council is contemplating putting the viability of Cae Post at risk by taking kerbside collection, currently carried out by Cae Post, back in house. Cae Post not only contributes hugely to recycling in Powys but also plays an important role in getting people back into employment. I strongly recommend that further thought is given to this catastrophic decision.
“The Liberal Democrats and Powys Independents have just voted to raise the allowances of the ten cabinet members by 40%. It doesn’t seem to me that their current performance justifies such an increase. I urge the Powys County Council Cabinet to reassess the way in which waste management is currently organised. We need a system that works.”
