Contact/Cyswllt: Sian Cliff
02920 898342 / sian.cliff@wales.gov.uk

Welsh Liberal Democrat AM Mick Bates congratulates all award winners as Cylch, the Wales Community Recycling Network, announce the results of the first ever Wales Recycling Awards, which reward excellence in recycling in Wales.

The awards were presented during Cylch’s 10th annual conference dinner yesterday by the Welsh Assembly Government Minister for Environment, Sustainability and Housing, Jane Davidson AM. An expert panel of key stakeholders in the Welsh recycling scene drew up a shortlist of contenders and a public vote decided the winners.

In praise of the exemplary efforts of each participant Mick Bates congratulates all contenders and applauds the success of the winners in each category:

“This is an excellent achievement for all companies involved as well as for our local communities and the future success of recycling schemes in Wales. It is so important to pay tribute to these grassroot projects who work so hard to put real practical solutions into action.

“Many congratulations to ‘toogoodtowaste’ who were awarded ‘Community Recycler of the Year’ for their reuse initiative that provides access to affordable pre-owned furniture. I have already written to Jane Davidson the Environment Minister to ask what support she will be giving to encourage local authorities to 'use reuse' and I look forward to her response.

“Congratulations also to Newport County Council who received the ‘Local Authority Partnership Award’ and have hit so many targets on the recycling agenda. Waste management plays such a central role in improving the quality of life in our communities and it is vital that local residents are given as much support as possible to increase the amount they recycle. It is great to see a Council lead the way in tackling the problem of domestic waste, as landfill space is quickly running out.

“Many congratulations to Sundance Renewables for their ‘Innovation Award’ for setting up the first community based biodiesel project in the UK. Reducing carbon emissions from transport is a huge challenge that must be addressed in our battle against climate change – not only do Sundance recycle waste cooking oil from local businesses but they produce a fuel that can help save our environment. It is great to see such a dedicated co-operative enterprise receive this much deserved recognition.

Jan Cliff and Adam Price of Sundance with WRAP sponsor Steve Creed and Welsh Environment Minister Jane Davidson

“Finally many congratulations to our local Cwm Harry Land Trust who have brought Newtown onto the Welsh recycling stage and engaged many local residents in its Newtown Food Recycling Project. The scheme encourages householders to separate out their food waste and has ambassadors known as ‘Compost Champions’ who live in the town and provide practical support to the project. The Trust has been hugely successful with 3,851 participating households – well done for their tremendous commitment, a marvellous achievement for Montgomeryshire to be proud of.

“Thanks to all those projects across Wales who work so hard and I hope that we will see more and more of these excellent ideas put into action across Wales, as we continue along our sustainable footpath towards a low carbon future.”


End / Diwedd