Get Wales to number 1 for recycling

Want to read some interesting facts about recycling in Wales? Have a look at these…

Recycling facts about Wales:

• Wales is the world’s third best recycling nation. We’re first in the UK by a long way.
• In Wales we recycle 65% of our waste. In 2009 this figure was 37%.
• 55% of people in Wales are recycling more things this year compared to in 2019.
• Welsh Government has set a target to recycle 70% of our waste by 2025, and become a zero-waste nation by 2050.
• Young adults in Wales have made the biggest year-on-year improvement, with 80% of 18-34-year olds saying they recycled more in 2020 than in 2019.

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Food recycling:

• Recycling food waste directly helps to tackle climate change.
• EVERY council in Wales offers a local food waste recycling service.
• Over 80% of people in Wales recycle their food waste.
• 6 recycled tea bags could produce enough electricity to boil a kettle for another cuppa.
• A caddy load of food waste can generate enough electricity to power a TV for over 2 hours.

Glass and metal recycling:

• Both glass and metal can be recycled again and again without losing any of its quality.
• Around 95% less energy is used to make glass and metal items from recycled materials compared with using ‘raw’ or ‘virgin’ materials.
• Glass and metal items that can be recycled from the bedroom and bathroom include perfume & aftershave bottles, and deodorant, hairspray & shaving gel aerosols.
• Recycling 1 empty beer can saves enough energy to power a shower for more than 5 minutes.
• Recycling 1 glass wine bottle stops nearly 4,000 cars’ worth of CO2 getting into our atmosphere.
• Recycling 6 mince pie foil cases saves enough energy to watch EastEnders on Christmas Day.

Plastic recycling:

• Most household plastic items can be recycled.
• Plastic bottles that can be recycled from the bathroom include hand wash, body wash, shampoo and conditioner bottles, bubble bath bottles and plastic cleaning products.
• 85% of Welsh citizens recycle their plastic toiletry bottles. 88% recycle plastic drinks bottles.
• It takes 75% less energy to make a plastic bottle from recycled plastic compared with using ‘raw’ or ‘virgin’ materials.
• Recycling 1 bleach bottle saves enough energy to power a home stereo for 9 hours. That’s a lot of Christmas tunes!
• Recycling three 500ml drinks bottle saves enough energy to power a fridge for 4 hours.

Card and paper recycling:

• At Christmas, we use enough card packaging to cover the Principality Stadium pitch nearly 140,000 times.
• 86% of people in Wales recycle their cardboard.
• Cardboard that can be recycled from the bathroom include toothpaste boxes, toiletry boxes and toilet roll tubes.
• 1 recycled toilet roll tube saves enough energy to charge your smartphone twice.

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