A COUNCILLOR wants to find out where Powys County Council’s (PCC) recycling goes.

Cllr Gareth Ratcliffe (Liberal Democrat – Hay-on-Wye) has submitted a question for the next PCC full council meeting in July on the subject.

Cllr Ratcliffe, said: “I have asked the portfolio holder (to) supply a briefing for council members on how Powys Council recycle and where our recycling is processed to ensure recycling means recyling.”

A spokesman for PCC, explained where recycling from PCC goes. He said: “Sorted plastic goes to Corby in Northamptonshire or Loughborough, Leicestershire depending on size.

“Poor quality material is sent to Germany where it is turned into solid fuel and burnt to generate energy. Nothing goes to Malaysia.”

Extra scrutiny has been placed on where recycling from Wales’ local authorities goes following a discovery of plastic waste from Welsh towns and villages piled up in a jungle more than 6,500 miles away.

While filming for a new BBC documentary Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall came across a 20ft high mountain of plastic waste, including packaging and recycling bags.

Some of that waste was from Rhondda Cynon Taff, with a recycling bag bearing the name of the council found among the rubbish.

The company the council uses to recycle its materials is Telford-based Lovell Recycling Ltd, which provides an accredited waste management service.

Lovell Recycling Ltd  has stressed that, while it does export waste to foreign countries, it only does so with what is known as ‘approved end destinations’ for the materials in question, and admit that it didn’t know how the waste from Rhondda Cynon Taff could have ended up in a Malaysian jungle.

The three part documentary series started on BBC 1 on June 10.