Recycling has increased again as Wales continues its journey
towards being a zero-waste nation.
Local authority municipal waste figures released today, Thursday
29 January, show the recycling rate has gone up from 66.6% in
2023-24 to 68.4% in 2024-25 – a complete transformation from
around 5% pre devolution.
Today's statistics are the first annual data published since new
workplace recycling measures were introduced in Wales, requiring
all businesses, public and third sector workplaces and collectors
to keep key recyclable materials separate.
Since then, an extra 8,187 tonnes of recyclable material has been
collected from workplaces by local authorities – up 42% on the
previous year. Residual waste collected from workplaces has also
dropped by 15.8%.
This means thousands of tonnes of additional valuable recyclable
materials are being fed back into the economy instead of being
incinerated or landfilled.
Just 0.7% of waste was disposed of via landfill in 2024 to 2025 –
a vast decrease on the 95% sent prior to devolution.
Deputy First Minister with responsibility for Climate Change,
said:
“We continue to build on Wales' already world class recycling.
This shows the huge shift in attitudes over the last few decades;
recycling is now a part of who we are as a nation.
“We've backed our commitment with over £1bn of investment since
devolution which has seen recycling rates increase exponentially
ever since.
“I'm proud of every person in Wales who has played their part in
getting us to where we are today – in our homes and now in our
workplaces too. Thank you for joining this collective effort.”
Wales is second in the world for recycling, leading the way in
the UK and just behind Austria in the global
rankingspublished by Eunomia Research and Consulting and
Reloop in 2024.
Over half of Welsh local authorities met the 2024 to 2025
statutory target of 70% of waste being recycled, while over 90%
reported an increase in their recycling rate compared with the
previous year.
The Deputy First Minister added:
“Our recycling track record is something to be proud of as we
continue taking action to tackle the climate and nature emergency
and grow the green economy.
“But let's not be complacent.
“Being number one in the world for recycling is within our grasp
if we keep up the momentum.”
Notes to editors
Local authority municipal
waste management: April 2024 to March 2025 [HTML] | GOV.WALES
12 local authorities met the 2024 to 2025 statutory target of
70%: Bridgend, Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Conwy, Monmouthshire,
Neath Port Talbot, Newport, Pembrokeshire, Powys, Rhondda Cynon
Taf, Swansea and Vale of Glamorgan.
10 did not meet the target: Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly, Cardiff,
Denbighshire, Flintshire, Gwynedd, Isle of Anglesey, Merthyr
Tydfil, Torfaen and Wrexham.
Local authority annual
municipal waste management and reuse/recycling/composting rates |
StatsWales
Workplace recycling includes selected recyclable materials that
are aligned to the workplace regulations. WasteDataFlow data on
non-household waste collected by local authorities largely
relates to workplace premises; however, it does not capture waste
from all workplaces in Wales. It is unclear whether this
data is representative of all workplaces in Wales. However, these
figures provide useful insight into the scale of non-household
waste collected by local authorities.
Additional validation undertaken by NRW this year has identified
that the proportion of wood reported as recycled or reused is
likely to have been over‑stated in recent years. This affects the
headline recycling rates.
Further information can be found in the statistical release and
corresponding quality report.
