Members of Penarth Youth Action and Llantwit Youth Council recently visited the Vale of Glamorgan Council's recycling centre in Cowbridge to learn more about the changes to the recycling service soon to be adopted across the Vale.

They met with the Council's Waste Project Officer, who explained the differences between the separated recycling service, which was rolled out in the rural Vale last year, and the co-mingled service currently used by the rest of the county.

The separated service sees recyclable items such as cardboard, paper, glass and plastics placed in different coloured bags ahead of kerbside collection. This approach improves the quality of materials collected for recycling and allows for greater resale value.

Last October, 3500 young people were surveyed as part of the Make Your Mark Campaign. Of these, 57 percent named 'Protect the Environment' as their top priority.

Since then, members of the Llantwit Youth Council and Penarth Youth Action have collaborated on a joint project on plastic recycling. This has included completing an accreditation on plastic recycling and supporting local initiatives to reduce, reuse and recycle waste.

Cabinet Member for Neighbourhood Services and Transport, Cllr Peter King said: "My experience is that younger adults, and even more so, students and school pupils understand climate change and what needs to be done better than most other groups.

"It's positive to see young people being part of the solution, and indeed encouraging the rest of us to make the effort!

"The separated service will be rolled out across the Vale over the next year and so it's important that residents of all ages are on board with the changes."

Both groups are run in partnership by the Vale Youth Service and their Town Councils to encourage young people to get involved in local decision-making and voicing their opinion.

If you would like more information about the groups or would like to get involved please contact: [email protected].