The Welsh Government has published guidance on waste management, ahead of new EU legal requirements on the separate collection of waste paper, metal, plastic and glass for recycling, due to come into force at the start of next year.
All organisations responsible for waste collection, including waste collection businesses and local authorities, will be required to collect waste paper, metal, plastic and glass in a way that maximises the amount of materials that can be recycled.
These four waste materials should be collected separately from each other and from other sources of waste, where this is necessary to maximise the amount of materials that can be recycled, and where technically, environmentally and economically practicable.
Minister for Natural Resources Carl Sargeant said: “I want it to be as simple as possible for everyone in Wales to recycle the four materials to a high quality, so we can continue to improve our recycling rates and continue to lead the way with the highest recycling rates in the UK.”
Separating materials for recycling avoids contamination and ensures that they can be recycled to a higher standard, creating more valuable products and more opportunities for Welsh manufacturers to make use of the materials.
Whilst the regulations set separate collection as the default position, they don’t prohibit the use of mixed or co-mingled collections of paper, metal, plastic and glass as long as this results in a similar quantity and quality of materials for recycling, to that achievable by separate collection, or if separate collection isn’t technically, environmentally or economically practicable.
