TORFAEN could face heavy fines if it does not improve its recycling rates.

Recycling rates in the area have shown no improvement in the last few years, causing the council to slide down Gwent’s recycling table.

Torfaen council said its recycling rate in 2010-11 was at 42.45 per cent which, indicates it has remained static from the 2008-09 period.

Back then Torfaen council topped Gwent’s recycling league with 42 per cent of its waste being recycled.

In 2009-10 its rate increased slightly to 43 per cent.

But the council could face fines of £200 per tonne if they do not meet the 2012-13 statutory target of 52 per cent set out by the National Assembly.

Currently Caerphilly council is in top place, recycling or composting half of its waste and it is the first Gwent council to do so.

A spokesman for Torfaen said the council expected to see a small drop in the percentage of its recycling because of problems experienced throughout the winter.

But it insisted it was still one of the top performing councils and said a new cardboard collection service would increase the amount recycled by 2,000 tonnes.

The spokesman said: “We are still up there with the top and this is down to us working with residents to get the most out of our twin bin system.

“We are introducing a cardboard collection service this year which we expect will increase the amount of recycled by 2,000 tonnes every year.

“When combined with weekly collections of food waste this should push our recycling percentage above 53 per cent by 2013.”