Huw Irranca-Davies MS, Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
I am pleased to publish today the summary of the responses to the consultation on our proposed revisions to the ‘Separate Collection of Waste Materials for Recycling – A Code of Practice for Wales.’ The consultation asked for views on revisions to the Code providing guidance on how to comply with the workplace recycling regulations, reflecting planned amendments to the Waste Separation Requirements (Wales) Regulations 2023.
The 2023 Regulations, which came into force in April 2024 as part of the Workplace Recycling Regulations, are 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.
As I referred to in my previous statement on 31 July, the proposed amendments to the Code implement the already consulted upon 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. Currently workplaces are only required to separate unsold small waste electricals and electronics. Other minor updates to the Code within the original policy scope were also proposed reflecting the planned expiry of an exemption for hospitals from the waste separation requirements and to make improvements following feedback since the Workplace Recycling Regulations started in April 2024.
The consultation was live from 31 July – 22 October this year and 41 responses were submitted. Of those, the largest number of responses came from businesses (34%) and local authority waste collection services (20%). There was also a smaller number of responses from those that identified themselves as a waste management company or a third sector organisation. 74% of people said they live in Wales and 68% had a business interest in Wales.
All the proposed amendments to the Code put forward in the consultation were supported by the majority of respondents that expressed an opinion. I therefore do not intend to make any further substantive changes to the Code beyond those updates proposed.
Whilst not covered within the scope of the consultation, several respondents provided comments concerning the existing Hazardous Waste (Wales) Regulations 2005 and related guidance. The Code having provided a link to the existing guidance, concerns were expressed that some workplaces could have difficulty assessing if their waste is hazardous or not. In response we have engaged with Natural Resources Wales who have committed to updating their website content to provide additional advice on assessing waste to determine whether it is hazardous or not to assist compliance with the Hazardous Waste (Wales) Regulations 2005 and prevent environmental harm.
Following the consultation, I intend to lay the revised Code and the statutory instrument to amend the 2023 Regulations in early 2026.
This reform is expected to reduce CO2 equivalent by 7,400 tonnes and increase recycling of small electricals by an estimated 38,000 tonnes over 10 years. The separate collection of small waste electricals and electronics creates the opportunity for valuable resources to be recovered from this waste stream that would otherwise be lost. By capturing 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 economic benefits supporting our drive for green growth, with for example the expected creation of 91 new waste management sector jobs. Importantly, it is also expected to bring a reduction in the number of waste fires caused by lithium-ion batteries found in many small electricals, with our infrastructure in Wales already having been impacted by such fires.
The small waste electricals and electronics requirement is the latest phase of our successful workplace recycling reforms, which are anticipated to deliver a modelled cumulative net benefit of £194.6M Net Present Value over 10 years. The next intended phase will see requirements for textiles and plastic film being phased in by April 2027.
With Wales already 2nd in the world for recycling, 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.