Wales’s Environment Minister, John Griffiths, has launched a plan which sets out how the Government will work with the construction sector to increase its recycling rates and reduce the amount of waste it sends to landfill.

The plan is aimed at the construction and demolition industry and sets out how it can play its part in the delivery of Wales’s recycling targets.

The construction industry currently accounts for 14% of Wales’s ecological footprint for waste and the construction and demolition sector plan provides advice and guidance to the sector to help it operate more sustainably.

As well as setting waste prevention and recycling targets, the plan makes recommendations on how to manage waste to achieve more environmentally positive and affordable outcomes for the construction industry.

“As well as being an integral contributor to the Welsh economy, the construction industry is a large consumer of natural resources, producing 12.2 million tonnes of waste each year in the Wales alone,” said Griffiths.

“Taking action to reduce the environmental impact of the construction sector is critical as our current level of waste is totally unsustainable. We have an obligation to ensure that we use our resources wisely.

“The ultimate aim is to turn high quality recycled waste into a valuable resource that does not cause environmental harm, rather than it ending up in landfill.”