NEWPORT and Caerphilly have been named as two of the best places in the UK for recycling plastic.

Almost 3,000 tonnes of plastic was recycled in Newport last year, and more than 2,000 in Caerphilly.

Retail company The Body Shop carried out research into recycling habits as part of their new initiatives to become a more sustainable brand.

They looked at the recycling habits in each town and city and created a top 20 for the UK.

Out of the four UK countries, Wales has the most towns and cities making the top 20 list.

In total, Wales sent 43,877 tonnes of plastic for recycling between 2017-2018.

The amount weighs 3.5 times more than the Severn Bridge – and is enough to rebuild it almost twice.

At 43, 877 tonnes, Wales contributed to 7 per cent of the total amount of plastic recycling across the UK.

Wales is also one of the few European countries that is already meeting the EU target for household waste recycling, exceeding the 50 per cent target in 2018.

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The recycling rate in Wales is 57.6 per cent, 12 per cent higher than the rate in England.

The data was compiled by analysing the amount of recycling in each town and city in the UK between 2017 and 2018, cross referencing this with the population - creating a plastic recycling index.

The research comes as part of the retailers plan to only be using three types of plastic instead of 20 by 2030, making it easier for consumers to recycle its products.

The store is also offering customers a bonus incentive of a £5 voucher for returning five empty products that use plastic.

Councillor Roger Jevons, the Newport City Council's cabinet member for city services said: “We are very pleased that our recycling initiatives, along with that of our partners Wastesavers, are reaping awards and we would like to thank all our residents who take the recycling message seriously.”

Phil Hurst of Wastesavers added: “It’s great to see Newport so near the top of this recycling table, thanks to the efforts of residents.

“We’ve seen the amount of plastic we collect increase significantly in the last few years.”

A spokesperson for the Caerphilly County Borough Council said: “We are consistently among the highest performing councils in Wales for achieving ambitious Welsh Government recycling targets; to hear that we are also among the highest in the UK is very pleasing.”