In Newport County, the social enterprise company Wastesavers has been working with the Council to implement one of the best structured separate collection systems in Europe today. In 2019 Newport not only achieved a recycling rate of 66%, but it also offers one of the lowest cost for households within Wales, supplemented by having high-quality recyclables with a low contamination rate.

The story of Newport shows that when separate collection systems prioritise quality over just quantity, and invest heavily in meaningfully engaging with the community, combined with well-designed equipment, world-leading results can be achieved whilst simultaneously reducing costs for local residents.