Mal Williams, co-ordinator of Cylch, who advised the Waste Policy Support Unit on the writing of the document, said: “The strategy is undoubtedly a great step forward for Wales. It sets higher recycling targets than its English counterpart and together with the 40 million to pay for this change to recycling it gives us a chance to move off the bottom of the recycling league in Europe.”
He added: “Welsh local authorities have been given the resources that could provide every household in Wales with the necessary kit to enable citizens to abolish waste by separation. Every household should receive a recycling collection service aimed at recovering quality materials.”
But he said that the strategy should be aiming for Zero Waste which has the potential to create 9,000 jobs in Wales over the next five years, and said: “Wales should have the courage to adopt a Zero Waste strategy and create jobs and turn waste from a problem to an opportunity.”
Zero Waste is a concept that originated in New Zealand which sees waste as being eliminated rather than managed. It aims for a massive change in the way materials flow through society. The concept concentrates on maximising recycling, minimising waste, reducing consumption and ensuring that products are made to be reused, repaired or recycled.
Mr Williams said that the key to change is to change the mindset. “We need to raise awareness that we create waste when we mix materials in one single bin or bag or skip. We need to keep separate all these materials become resources that can be re-used – it’s as simple as that.”
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