New workplace recycling laws are coming into effect in Wales, which promise to help nationwide efforts to decrease the emissions created by businesses, while dramatically increasing the usefulness of Welsh investments in recycling.
To help businesses prepare for the change – and understand both how it affects them, and what they need to do to remain legally compliant – we’ve prepared a full guide on the new laws.
Keep reading to find out more about the details of the new recycling law, who it affects, and what initiatives businesses will now need to implement
Who will be affected by the new law?
The new GOV.Wales recycling law applies to all Welsh workplaces (including businesses, charities and organisations in the public sector), and will come into effect on the 6th April 2024.
All waste and recycling collectors and processors in Wales will also need to adhere to the new legislation, if they manage any workplaces’ ‘household-like waste’.
The law will be enacted by Natural Resources Wales, which will monitor businesses to ensure that the new requirements are being followed correctly. For food waste specifically (more detail on this below), local authorities will be responsible for making businesses adhere to the new requirements.
What changes does the new law mean for businesses?
The law states that all workplaces will need to separate their recycling, following the same method that is usually undertaken by households.
Workplaces will now need to separate the following materials, so that they can be recycled:
- Paper and card
- Glass
- Metal, plastic, cartons and other similar packaging (such as disposable coffee cups)
- Food (for premises that produce more than 5kg of food waste a week)
- Unsold small waste electrical and electronic equipment
- Unsold textiles
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.
For workplaces that produce over 5kg of food waste per week (such as hotels, restaurants, pubs and offices or workplaces that serve food), they will need to start separating and recycling food waste. They will also no longer be able to put food waste down a sink or drain (and will not be able to use macerators or similar technologies).
The new law will also enact 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.
What are the benefits of the new Welsh recycling law?
According to statistics provided by the government, when it comes to household recycling, Wales currently ranks as third in the entire world.
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.
So, recognising Wales’ impressive commitment to sustainability, the government wants to emulate the success of these efforts, and further harness the population’s eco-conscious mindset.
As a result, the aim of this approach is to extend the benefits of recycling out further, by securing the same high recycling rates throughout its workplaces.
Furthermore, by increasing the recycling rates of its businesses, Wales can also increase the volume (and quality) of recycling that can be used by manufacturers, and strengthen its economy, while also continuing its work to create ‘a greener Wales’.
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.
How businesses can prepare for the new law
To prepare for the new law and its requirements, workplaces will need to start thinking about their waste management systems.
They will need to start implementing alternative waste collection methods and systems, to ensure that they are able to correctly collect and sort their recyclable materials, and make it easy for their employees to do the same.
They can also prepare for the changes by reading the Code of Practice on the Separate Collection of Waste Materials for Recycling. This provides further details about best practices for separating waste, ready for recycling.
Workplace managers may also wish to speak to their employees about the requirements of the new legislation. These sessions can help the changes be implemented more seamlessly, while also giving employees the opportunity to share their insights into how changes can be made more successfully.
Finally, speaking to your recycling and waste collector will ensure that they have the facilities and capabilities required to support your workplace during this transition.
At EnviroCraft, we are business recycling and waste management specialists, trusted by countless organisations across the UK. For more information, contact our team.
The post Changes to the Law on Workplace Recycling for Wales appeared first on EnviroCraft Waste Solutions.
