Changes planned to recycling in Cardiff to meet government targets

Cardiff council is planning two new recycling services and a series of further measures to help it meet Wales’ legally binding 70% recycling and composting target.

The city’s recycling rate reached 64% in 2024/25 and has risen to 66.1% in the first quarter of the current financial year, but council analysis suggests significant amounts of recyclable material are still ending up in black bins.

Around 60% of waste currently placed in black bins or bags could be recycled, with 43% of that material recoverable through existing kerbside collections alone — equivalent to 19,000 tonnes of waste that could push the city’s recycling rate up by as much as 9.7%.

The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) has estimated that, through further targeted interventions, Cardiff’s recycling and composting rate could increase by between 3.9% and 6.9%, depending on how many residents take up the new services.

Two concrete changes are now being proposed as part of Cardiff’s Path to 70% plan.

From April 2026, collections of absorbent hygiene products, including nappies and incontinence waste,  will switch from fortnightly to weekly.

The change is intended to make the service more practical for households and encourage greater uptake, with more frequent collections expected to drive an increase in the volume of material diverted from general waste.

From summer 2026, the council will also launch a new kerbside soft plastics recycling service, allowing residents to recycle items such as plastic packaging and crisp packets.

Additional recycling bags will be provided and collected alongside existing kerbside services, requiring no significant change to residents’ routines.

Both proposals will go before Cardiff Council’s Cabinet on Thursday 19 March, having first been scrutinised by the Environmental Committee on Tuesday 12 March.

Failure to meet Wales’ recycling targets carries a financial penalty of £200 for every tonne that falls short of the required rate — a significant potential liability for the council if progress stalls.

Modelling

Councillor Norma Mackie, Cabinet Member for Waste, Street Scene and Environmental Services, said: “Working with WRAP, the Council has undertaken a significant amount of modelling to understand how we can increase the city’s recycling and composting rate to meet the challenging target ahead of us.

“The figures show that, although it will be a challenge, it is achievable, but we need all residents to help by playing their part and recycling and composting as much of their waste as possible.
“Cardiff has a high proportion of high-density housing, with 26.5% of people living in flats. The average recycling rate from flats across the city is typically much lower, with around 40% of waste recycled from these properties.

“This is why we have delivered a new recycling scheme for these properties, working with management agencies to ensure leaseholders are aware of the scheme and how to use it.

“Public information campaigns will be designed to support the two new interventions planned for April and summer this year, so we can continue to increase the city’s recycling rate and divert even more waste away from incineration.”

Wales sets its recycling targets in law and at a higher level than elsewhere in the UK.