Changes are coming – are you ready? Welsh Waste Management Regulations 2024
Changes to Welsh waste management regulations are set to be enforced in April 2024, and Greenzone are here to ensure businesses are well-informed and prepared for the changes that are coming up. Greenzone can provide valuable information and actions needed to comply with the new Workplace Recycling regulations and offer all the waste services required which mean businesses can adhere to these changes with confidence.
From April 2024, businesses must segregate their waste for recycling by separating different waste into containers for collection. This move is in line with the Welsh Government’s ‘Towards Zero Waste’ strategy, aiming for a 70% recycling rate by 2025. The goal is to increase waste recycling, prevent contamination, reduce general waste and contribute a to a circular economy in Wales.
The materials requiring segregation include:
- Food waste (for businesses producing over 5kg per week)
- Paper and card
- Glass
- Metal, plastic, and cartons
- Textiles
- Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE e-Waste)
- Non-recyclable general waste
- Changes in Waste Collection
The changes see the withdrawal of popular Dry Mixed Recycling (DMR) services. Businesses will be required to separate materials that were previously part of commingled waste. Greenzone can assist with a waste management plan that adheres to the new regulations.
All of these materials will need to be disposed of separately from each other, and workplaces will also need to ensure that the waste types listed above are collected separately from any other waste that they dispose of. But, groups of materials (such as metal, plastic and cartons) can be collected and discarded in the same container.
The new law also bans on the following:
- Sending any wood waste to landfill
- Sending any food waste to sewers
- Sending any waste that has been separated for recycling to landfill or incineration plants (this excludes most textiles, which may go to incineration plants, apart from unsold textiles)
If workplaces do not comply with the requirements outlined above, then they could face a fine.
For waste that is collected by Welsh local authorities, the recycling rate stands at an impressive 65+%. This represents a saving of around 400,000 tonnes of carbon emissions every single year. As a result, the aim of this approach is to extend the benefits of recycling, by securing the same high recycling rates throughout workplaces.
Currently, there are no details about plans for a similar law change to be enacted in England. However, if this new initiative proves successful in Wales – and makes a marked impact on recycling rates and emission reduction targets – then it could be possible that a similar approach is introduced in England.
