New figures show that every local authority in Wales has already met its 2010 targets to cut the levels of of waste sent to landfill. The Landfill Allowances Scheme limits the amount of biodegradable material such as paper, cardboard and kitchen scraps councils can send to tips. 2010 is the first Landfill Directive Target year when Wales will have to report to the European Union on its Landfill Allowances performance.

Over the past two years the Welsh Assembly Government has given councils an additional 24 million pounds to prepare schemes for the collection and treatment of household waste. All but four of the 22 Welsh local authorities now have food waste collection services.

Chris Mills, Director of Environment Agency Wales, said: “This is a great achievement made possible by the efforts of local authorities and communities in Wales. The creation of better facilities and people making a real effort to separate their waste is paying dividends.”

The Welsh Environment Minister, Jane Davidson, welcomed the Environment Agency’s figures and congratulated the councils. “I now want to build on this progress. The increase in the recycling of separately collected food waste will be vital for local authorities to meet the next EU target set for 2013. Councils who exceed their targets face significant fines, which would not be good for the taxpayer.”