Sue Essex wants targets to be met

Welsh councils will get the lion's share of the assembly cash, with �34m going towards preparing them for a massive increase in the amount of waste they'll be expected to recycle.

At present, around 95% of waste in Wales is buried underground in ever-decreasing landfill sites - putting Wales at the bottom of the European recycling league.

But officials hope that by 2010, the 5% currently recycled or composted will rise to 40% - more than in England, where the target stands at 30%.

English shire counties are currently ahead of the game, recycling 10% of their waste - twice the amount Wales manages.

'Unambitious'

New Welsh targets are due to be announced later this month, when the assembly publishes its draft waste strategy.

Assembly Environment Minister Sue Essex is of the view that the targets should be challenging but still attainable.

In March, the Environment, Transport and Regions Select Committee attacked the UK government's recycling targets as "depressingly unambitious."

Switzerland, Germany and the Netherlands already recycle half of their waste.

Western Australia, on the other hand, is aiming for zero rubbish by 2020, while Canberra has gone from no recycling to 59% in just eight years.