The Welsh government has issued new workplace recycling regulations which make it compulsory for businesses to separate their waste for recycling.
From April 6 2024, it will be law for all businesses, charities and public sector organisations based in Wales to separate and sort their waste in order to improve the quality – and quantity – of commercial recycling.
There is no such legislation throughout the rest of the UK, where businesses have a duty of care to hold waste products safely and “dispose of them properly”, as set out in the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
The new Welsh legislation is expected to reduce the amount of waste sent to incineration and landfill, increasing the quality and quantity of recyclable materials collected from workplaces. This will in turn allow important materials to be fed back into the Welsh economy while also improving the consistency of recycling collection and management in Wales.
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Sending food waste to the sewer, sending separately collected waste to incineration or landfill and sending unwanted wood to landfill are all now banned outright.
“The publication of the workplace recycling regulations is another positive step forward ahead of the exciting implementation of these reforms next year,” said Reconomy head of sustainability Nathan Gray.
“Alongside the new regulations, the Welsh government has also provided a code of practice to provide practical guidance for businesses on how to comply with the separation requirements alongside a national communications campaign.
Gray encourages businesses to start preparing for the changes as soon as possible so they are ready to “play an important part” in the transition to a more circular economy.
“Across the Severn in England, there will be a close focus on the success of the scheme as the direction of travel suggests it may not be too long before we see similar schemes rolled out across the UK,” he added.
