A new law will soon require workplaces in Wales to improve recycling.
On the 6 April 2024, a new law comes into effect in Wales. It means all workplaces such as businesses, the public sector and charities will need to separate their recyclable materials in the same way most households already do across the country.
The Welsh household recycling program has already been a great success, ranking third in the world. Each year, they recycle 65% of the waste that is collected by the local authorities, resulting in a reduction of 400,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions. With this success in mind, Wales now plans to tackle commercial waste within the country in the hopes of achieving similar results.
What will need to be recycled?
Workplaces will need to separate the materials listed below for recycling. Workplaces will also need to arrange for the waste to be collected separately from other waste.
- paper and card
- glass
- metal, plastic, and cartons and other similar packaging (for example coffee cups)
- food – only for premises that produce more than 5kg of food waste a week
- unsold small waste electrical and electronic equipment (sWEEE)
- unsold textiles
How the law will be enforced
Natural Resources Wales (NRW) is responsible for ensuring materials are separated and collected correctly, and that recycling isn’t sent to incineration or landfill. The local authorities are responsible for enforcing the ban on food waste going to sewers. Your workplace could be fined if you do not comply with the new law.
How Officeworx can help you get ready.
As a business, we can assist companies in Wales with the new transition to recycling by sourcing the correct bins for your workplace. We have several specialist facilities suppliers who stock a wide range of recycling bins, storage solutions and signage to help your business make the lawful transition.
Remember to consider all of your bins, whether internal or external, to ensure your waste is separated and will not contaminate other materials before being collected by your waste provider. When selecting the recycling bins for your workplace it is important to consider how the bins are positioned, how easily accessible they are for employees and that they are labelled clearly to omit errors when recycling the waste.
Let’s make Great Britain greener.
While the new law in Wales is specifically guiding businesses, public sectors, and charities in the region to make changes to their commercial waste, there’s no reason why businesses in England and Scotland cannot also implement similar processes with their commercial waste. It’s always a good idea to be environmentally conscious and take steps to minimise waste wherever possible. It’s also good to prepare for the possible extension of Welsh law to the rest of Great Britain.
For more guidance visit:
https://www.gov.wales/changes-workplace-recycling-guidance-workplaces