Julie James MS, Minister for Climate Change
Today I am publishing key documents relating to the business, public and third sector recycling reforms, which will require all workplaces to separate key recyclable materials in the same way householders already do across the majority of Wales. The reforms form an essential element of the Welsh Government’s action on the climate and nature emergency as well as being a key step in laying the foundations for a stronger, greener economy as we progress towards decarbonisation, as committed to within our Programme for Government.
The documents are a summary of the responses received to the public consultations held between November and February on the draft Code of Practice Separate collection of waste materials for recycling: a code of practice for Wales and proposed enforcement and sanctions approach Proposals for enforcing business, public and third sector recycling regulations in Wales, together with a competition assessment Increasing recycling at workplaces: assessment of effects on competitiveness.
The consultations set out the intended requirements for workplace recycling covering all business, public and third sector premises. The key outcomes being that:
- Respondents agreed with the principles the proposals were seeking to achieve in both the code of practice and enforcement and sanctions consultation documents.
- Some sectors and businesses required additional clarity on certain sections of ‘the Code’ and asked for further detail of how the enforcement and sanctions regime will be applied in practice.
- Concerns were raised about the readiness of the sector to deliver against the original coming into force date of October 2023.
Having carefully considered the feedback, subject to the will of the Senedd, I will be extending the coming into force date of the legislation until 6 April 2024. This will allow an additional 6 months for the necessary preparations in advance of the legislation coming into force at the beginning of the next financial year. I would therefore urge those who have yet to complete their preparations to follow the example of those that have already
implemented the change to source segregated and collected recycling. This is a vital step in the action required to not only tackle the climate and nature emergency, but also to realise the benefits of the circular economy.
These reforms will ensure that we can capture a resilient supply of high-quality recycled materials, which can then be returned back into our economy. This in turn will help unlock the benefits of the circular economy and support business resilience through the transition to a decarbonised economy. Building on the success of our household recycling, these reforms represent another significant step towards a more circular economy and a net zero Wales.
Annex