RECYCLING rates in Pembrokeshire are among the best in Wales, new figures have shown.

Our county recycled 60% of its rubbish last year (2013/2014) – the third highest rate in Wales.

Pembrokeshire was also the second most improved local authority in Wales, with an increase of 7% on the previous year’s recycling performance.

Councillor Huw George, Cabinet Member for Environmental and Regulatory Services and Welsh Language, welcomed the figures.

“Currently we are one of the top performing authorities in Wales when it comes to recycling,” he said.

“Although we have many schemes to make recycling easier, this is really down to the voluntary efforts and goodwill of the public.

“There is no obligation for people to recycle, but they recognise that it’s good for the environment and jobs, and really keeps costs down.

“It’s also thanks to the staff at the Civic Amenity and Recycling Centres in Pembrokeshire, who are consistently helping and advising people on how to recycle their waste.”

Provisional figures show that Pembrokeshire’s recycling rate improved even further between April and June of this year to 68% - well over the Welsh Government’s target of 58% for 2015/16.

Richard Brown, Head of Environment and Civil Contingencies, praised the engagement of Pembrokeshire residents and businesses.

He said the excellent recycling figures of 2013/2014 were also driven by three key factors – fortnightly black bag collections, talking to the local community and the launch of new recycling services.

“The introduction of fortnightly black bag collections encouraged people to look more closely at what they could recycle, and resulted in a huge improvement in recycling rates,” he said.

“We also have waste advisors, funded by the ERDF (European Regional Development Fund) who have been visiting communities with lower recycling rates to find out if they have any barriers to using our services and helping them sort out any problems, which has got good results.”

“New services include carpet and mattress recycling at Civic Amenity and Recycling Sites, the opening of a secondary processing facility for furniture, and the continued rollout of the glass and food kerbside collection service.”