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Caerphilly’s recycling rate has improved but was the worst in Wales last year, new figures show.

The county borough managed to recycle 61.6% of the waste it collected – well below a 70% minimum target the Welsh Government introduced last April.

The council’s cabinet member for waste admitted Caerphilly’s performance was “not where we want to be” but said a “modest” improvement on last year’s rate was “encouraging”.

The 61.6% figure is the best the council has recorded since 2020/21 but still leaves it languishing at the foot of a nationwide performance league table.

Cllr Chris Morgan, Caerphilly’s cabinet member for waste, said the Labour-run council was “disappointed” with the latest figures, but insisted improving recycling rates was “both a key priority for the council and a long-term challenge”.

Caerphilly Council has managed to hold off multimillion-pound Welsh Government fines to date by setting out a new waste strategy for improvements.

This has included providing free food waste bags to residents, increasing both education and enforcement operations for people who fail to recycle, and agreeing to build a new waste transfer depot in Ystrad Mynach.

Changes to tip policies have also been introduced in the borough, and it is likely there will be future proposals to reduce the frequency of bin collections.

“Our focus remains on practical actions that can make a real difference – including increasing food waste recycling participation, reducing the misuse of bins, and supporting residents with clearer information about how to recycle correctly,” explained Cllr Morgan.

Cllr Charlotte Bishop, who leads the local authority’s Plaid Cymru group, branded the new figures “truly dismal” and said “small improvements in recent years [were] nowhere near enough”.

She added: “Caerphilly’s performance is the worst in Wales and the council leadership should really hang their heads in shame.

“Back in 2011 when Plaid Cymru was running the council, the recycling rate at 57% was the best in south Wales – well above the Wales average – and behind only Ynys Mon. Labour has clearly taken its eyes off the green agenda.”

However, Cllr Morgan said a slow but steady increase in recycling rates in the past five years provides some cause for optimism and shows the council’s plan is working, despite Caerphilly’s position at the foot of the performance table.

The  “modest” improvement on last year “reflects the progress we’ve made to date”, he said, adding that the new waste depot – which is currently the subject of a pre-planning consultation – will allow the council to process waste locally and “deliver a cleaner, greener, more efficient service for residents”.

“While the 70% recycling target is ambitious, we remain committed to working towards it and would encourage residents to do all they can to help us meet our shared recycling goals,” he added.

Caerphilly was one of ten Welsh local authorities to miss the 70% minimum target set by the government.

Overall, the average recycling rate for Wales was 68.4% last year, up from 66.6% the previous year.

Huw Irranca-Davies, the Welsh Government’s deputy first minister, described Wales’ recycling performance as “world-class” and growing “exponentially”.

“I’m proud of every person in Wales who has played their part in getting us to where we are today – in our homes and now in our workplaces too,” he said. “Thank you for joining this collective effort.”