1. Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on performance against municipal waste recycling targets across Wales? OAQ(5)0115(ERA)

Thank you. We are making excellent progress against our recycling targets. Latest figures show 62 per cent recycling for the 12 months ending September 2016, up 4 per cent on the 12 months to September 2015. We are No. 1 in the UK, we’ve risen to No. 2 in Europe, and that’s a great testament to the commitment of councils and residents across Wales.

Thank you for that information, Cabinet Secretary, and, in itself, yes, that is a good performance. The problem is that, as councils advance towards recycling targets, frequently fly-tipping rates rise. In the two years up to 2016, fly-tipping rose by 10 per cent in Conwy, by 22 per cent in Gwynedd and, in Pembrokeshire, by a massive 47 per cent. In the light of these figures, is it time for your department to review its recycling targets?

Well, I am reviewing our recycling targets, but only to make them even more ambitious. I think you need to take great care when you interpret the increase in the 2015-16 figures around fly-tipping. It is a difficult crime to detect, however I do want to see prosecutions where it is happening. But, you know, fly-tipping incidents in Wales had been steadily declining, and then, as you say, they did increase in 2015-16. But I think a number of changes have been made by local authorities, and it’s really important that we do take the public with us. But I think the increase that we’ve seen, in reaching our targets, does show that the public are with us on this one.

Ceredigion was the best performing local authority in terms of recycling in the 12 months up to the end of September 2016, with 70 per cent of waste recycled. All of the local authorities led by Plaid Cymru are reaching the national target of recycling 60 per cent of waste. Some authorities, such as Blaenau Gwent, Cardiff and Bridgend, continue to fail to achieve that national target. Does the Cabinet Secretary agree that we need to do more to encourage and enable people to recycle so that every local authority reaches the standards of Ceredigion and recycles 70 per cent of its waste by 2025? For example, why not create a deposit-return scheme for plastic, glass and cans, and a ban on polystyrene in all areas?

Well, 19 of 22 Welsh local authorities reached the target. Bridgend and Cardiff weren’t two of the three that didn’t. The three local authorities that didn’t reach the targets, I’ve now had the opportunity to meet with them, to see why they did fail to reach the targets. And I will be continuing to work, and my officials will continue to work with them to make sure that, next year, they do reach those targets.

You mentioned a couple of initiatives that we are looking at. The deposit-return scheme is one that I think we should give consideration to. But I think, for it to be really beneficial, it needs to be done not just on a Wales-wide—I think we’d have to work with England very closely, and I know Scotland are also looking at it.

Cabinet Secretary, there’s no room for taking the foot off the pedal on this. We have to target fly-tipping as well as recycling targets. There’s no such thing as throwing away—all waste needs to be disposed of in some way or another. So, there’s a cost in that. And, in Cardiff, they have achieved the Welsh Government target, which I’m very pleased about. And we need to keep going, because the landfill site at Lamby Way is going to close next year because it’s reached capacity, and that means any further landfill disposal will cost £80 a tonne. And so, therefore, there has to be that emphasis on getting the public to recycle what they need to recycle, and not put it into the non-recyclable bins. Will you join me in supporting this concept, that there is no such thing as throwing away, and we need to tackle every industrial outlet that is developing non-recyclable waste to get them to change, so that we can always reuse and recycle?

Yes, I absolutely agree with what the Member for Cardiff Central says. I’ve actually said to my officials I want us to be the No. 1 country, not just in Europe, but in the world. And I really do think that we can achieve that. I think that’s a very realistic target, you know, to be No. 1 in the world. So, we certainly won’t be taking our foot off the target. We do need to look at ways of encouraging people who don’t currently recycle to do so. I think officials recognise, and I think local authorities recognise, that there will always be a group of people that it will be very difficult to persuade, but that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t try to persuade them.