ANGLESEY UP WITH WALES’ BEST

Holyhead, 16th October 2009 – The 116 staff employed by municipal services provider Verdant on its Isle of Anglesey County Council recycling, refuse and cleansing contract are basking in the reflected glory of a ‘brilliant performance’ that has helped achieve the second best recycling rate in Wales.

Data released by the Welsh Assembly for the year 2008/09 shows that out of 22 local authorities in Wales, Anglesey achieved the largest percentage increase in recycling and composting (nine per cent), and was the second highest performing authority overall with a 44 per cent recycling and composting rate. Just seven years ago, the island’s community was recycling just over two per cent of its waste.

In 2008/09, Anglesey reduced its residual waste per person by six per cent and recycled and composted 18,935 tonnes. The top recycling rate amongst Welsh local authorities was Ceredigion with 46 per cent.

The news, simply described as ‘excellent’ by Cllr Bob Parry OBE, Anglesey County Council’s environmental portfolio holder, neatly complements the early 2009 result of Wales’ first-ever litter survey which found that Anglesey had the cleanest streets.

Verdant was awarded its new 14 year recycling, refuse and street cleansing contract with The Isle of Anglesey in 2007. It is part of a pioneering initiative to reduce waste and improve recycling on Anglesey. The Ailgylchu Môn Recycling Partnership comprises Verdant, the County Council, and community enterprise agency Menter Môn.

Verdant managing director Roger Edwards paid tribute to Anglesey residents, saying “… without their sustained support and interest in recycling, these results just wouldn’t have been possible. It’s been a brilliant performance by the local community.”

He added: “Led by business manager Andy Dutton, all Verdant’s staff on the island are passionate about what they do, and these results are clear evidence of that passion. I thank them for their dedication, and the County Council for its energy and vision.”

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About Verdant

Verdant Group Plc (www.verdant-group.co.uk), part of the fast-growing, recycling-led Greenstar UK group (www.greenstar.co.uk), provides high quality, efficient recycling, refuse, cleansing and grounds maintenance services for 24 local authorities in England, Wales and Scotland. It makes over 55 million recycling and refuse collections annually from nearly 1.1 million households, and employs over 1,600 staff operating with 600+ vehicles. Hundreds of staff are participating in a government-backed skills and awareness training programme which leads to a recognised vocational qualification. Verdant’s Arun Green Waste Club in West Sussex won Best Partnership Project at the 2007 National Recycling Awards, and Verdant also won the Best Commitment to Health & Safety category of the 2005 National Recycling Awards.

For further media information, contact:

Blair Drummond, Verdant PR consultant – tel (m) 07798 686 217, email blair.drummond@btopenworld.com