Huw Irranca-Davies, Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
I am pleased to launch a consultation on the Separate Collection of Waste Materials for Recycling – A Code of Practice for Wales, which provides guidance on how to comply with the workplace recycling separation requirements. This consultation is part of the next phase for the Workplace Recycling Regulations. The regulations, which came into force in Aprill 2024, form an essential element of the Welsh Government’s action on the climate and nature emergency. By diverting valuable recyclable materials from incineration and landfill and capturing and returning them to the economy instead, we have laid foundations for a stronger, greener economy as committed to within our Programme for Government.
The consultation is seeking views on proposed revisions to the Code of Practice which reflect planned amendments to the Waste Separation Requirements (Wales) Regulations 2023, one of the three statutory instruments that make up the Workplace Recycling Regulations. The amendments implement the commitment to bring in a requirement for workplaces to present small waste electrical and electronic equipment (sWEEE) separately for collection and onward recycling from 6 April 2026, with workplaces currently only required to do so for separate unsold sWEEE.
This proposed amendment is part of the phased approach to the workplace recycling reforms consulted on in 2019 and in 2022/23. The next phase will see requirements for textiles and plastic film being phased in by April 2027. Other minor updates to the code within the original policy scope have been made to reflect the expiry of an exemption for hospitals and to make improvements for clarity and consistency following feedback since the regulations came into force in April 2024.
Alongside the consultation, I am also publishing the Regulatory Impact Assessment for the sWEEE element of these reforms, which is expected to reduce CO2 e by 7,400 tonnes, and increase recycling of small electricals by an estimated 38,000 tonnes over 10 years. The separate collection of sWEEE creates the opportunity for valuable resources to be recovered from this waste stream that would otherwise be lost. By capturing these resources that can be used by manufacturers instead of virgin raw materials, it also reduces the extraction of materials that is also a root cause of the global biodiversity crisis.
As well as environmental benefits, the policy will bring wider benefits, with for example the expected creation of 91 new waste management sector jobs and a reduction in the number of waste fires caused by lithium-ion batteries found in many small electricals.
The sWEEE requirement is the latest phase of the workplace recycling reforms, which are modelled to deliver a cumulative net benefit of £194.6MNPV over 10 years from the combined package of measures.
Wales is already 2nd in the world for recycling and by implementing the next phase of the workplace recycling reforms we will be taking another important step. This will see more recyclable materials captured and will enable even more high-quality recycling to be captured so that it can be used by Welsh manufacturers, unlocking the benefits of the circular economy and making another significant step towards a net zero Wales.
This statement is being issued during recess to keep Members informed. Should Members wish me to make a further statement or to answer questions on this when the Senedd returns I would be happy to do so.