New stats show another increase in recycling in Wales
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, Huw Irranca-Davies 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 rankings published 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.
Twelve 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.
Ten did not meet the target: Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly, Cardiff, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Gwynedd, Isle of Anglesey, Merthyr Tydfil, Torfaen and Wrexham.
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.”
The figures are available to read in full here: Local authority municipal waste management: April 2024 to March 2025 [HTML] | GOV.WALES
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This is great to see, but people can only do so much on their own. Supermarkets and supply chains need to vastly accelerate changes to their packaging for one thing. So much soft plastic is still being used for fruit & vegetables for example, when it could be paper, card or other more readily recyclable materials. The welsh government should be coordinating with councils to streamline and eliminate discrepencies in services offered and recycling waste streams accepted – why do kerbside collections differ so wildly between councils? i.e. tetrapaks, soft plastics being collected.