Workplace Recycling, let's get it sorted.

Workplace recycling has changed

It is the law for all businesses, charities and public sector organisations to sort their waste for recycling. 

The law also applies to all waste and recycling collectors and processors who manage household-like waste from workplaces. 

The Welsh Government introduced these changes to improve the quality and quantity of how we collect and separate waste.

NHS hospitals and private hospitals are the only workplaces that have longer to comply with the new law; from 6 April 2026.

How to check you are sorting your waste correctly

Read a general guide.   

WRAP’s Business of Recycling Wales website has guides for specific sectors including:

  • Hospitality and food
  • Retail
  • Education including nurseries, schools and universities
  • Residential settings including nursing homes, residential care homes and prisons
  • Outdoor events such as fairs, festivals, and concerts
  • Leisure facilities and entertainment including caravan parks, campsites, and hotels. 

Posters, signage, and templates are also available on WRAP’s Business of Recycling Wales website. 

The Code of Practice gives you more detailed information about the new workplace recycling law and how should comply. It is important you read this alongside the guides.

What waste needs to be separated

The following materials should be separated for collection, and collected separately:

  • Food
  • Paper and card
  • Glass
  • Metals, plastic and cartons
  • Unsold textiles
  • Unsold small waste electrical and electronic equipment (sWEEE)

You can mix paper and card together in the same container, and you can mix metal, plastic, and cartons together.

There is also a ban on:

  • Sending food to waste sewers (any amount)
  • Separately collected waste going to incineration and landfill
  • All wood waste going to landfill

Who the law applies to

All businesses, charities and public sector organisations need to separate their waste. 

This includes, for example:

  • Agriculture
  • Hospitality and tourism - restaurants, bars, pubs, bed and breakfasts, hotels, campsites and caravan parks, holiday accommodation, and licensed premises
  • Showgrounds
  • Service stations and petrol stations
  • Entertainment and sports venues including leisure centres
  • Transport - bus stations, railway stations, seaports, airports, and heliports
  • Care and nursing homes
  • Pharmacies, GP surgeries, dental surgeries, and other primary care settings
  • Construction sites
  • Factories and warehouses
  • Car garages
  • Education - universities, colleges, and schools
  • Garden centres
  • Heritage buildings
  • Libraries and museums
  • Offices and workshops
  • Places of worship
  • Prisons
  • Outdoor markets and festivals
  • Retail
Guidance for workplaces
Guidance for workplaces
How workplaces can prepare for the changes.
Guidance for waste collectors
Guidance for waste collectors
How waste collectors can prepare for the changes.

Why the law changed

We want to improve the quality and quantity of recycling from workplaces. This is an important step towards reaching zero waste, reducing our carbon emissions and tackling the climate emergency.

We want to keep materials in use for as long as possible. With the costs of materials rising, keeping high quality materials in use will help our economy and support our supply chains. 

We are already the best in the UK for domestic recycling and second in the world.

The new law supports the actions from our circular economy strategy, Beyond recycling.