Wales outperforms England and Northern Ireland in reduced CO2 emission from recycling

The figures, taken from the Recycling Carbon Index Report, show Wales as the clear leader, with 84 kg CO2 eq saved per person in 2013/14, compared to 67 and 65 in England and Northern Ireland respectively.

The Local Authority Recycling Carbon Index measures the environmental performance of councils’ recycling services. When products are recycled it avoids the need to extract and process new raw material, reducing carbon emissions. The size of the reduction depends on the material recycled. The Carbon Index uses the amount of each material that a council collects to calculate how much carbon is saved.

Carl Sargeant said:

“Wales has established itself as one of the leading nations in the world in terms of recycling and these figures further demonstrate the good work being done here in Wales.

“We saved over 25% more CO2 than both England and Northern Ireland last year, which reflects the higher recycling rates achieved here in Wales and reinforces that we are recycling more of the right materials in the right ways.

“It is clear that efficient recycling has real benefits for communities and businesses as well as being vital for protecting our future generations and it’s pleasing to see so many local authorities reporting an improvement in emissions compared to the previous year. I hope and expect this trend to continue over years to come and that the Welsh Government can continue to be recycling pioneers and reap the obvious benefits that stem from doing it well.”