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Wales records highest recycling rate in UK

23 Sep 2026 2 minute read

Recycling bags in Cardiff. Photo Nation.Cymru

Nation.Cymru staff/agencies

Wales has recorded an increase in household recycling while the overall UK rate fell slightly, new figures show.

The proportion of waste from households in Wales sent for recycling, composting or recovery rose to 58.6% in 2024, up from 57.0% the previous year.

Across the UK, the figure slipped from 44.6% to 44.5%, according to data published by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

Wales recorded the highest rate among the four UK nations, ahead of Northern Ireland at 50.1%, England at 43.8% and Scotland at 42.7%.

Scotland was the only other nation to record an increase, rising from 42.2% to 42.7%.

England’s figure fell from 44.0% to 43.8%, while Northern Ireland saw a marginal decline from 50.2% to 50.1%.

The figures were published alongside provisional data showing a fall in the proportion of UK packaging waste being recycled.

Overall, 70.5% was recycled in 2025, down from 73.2% in 2024.

The proportion of paper and cardboard recycled fell from 84.1% to 80.3%, glass from 79.1% to 75.1% and wood from 51.7% to 43.7%. Metal recorded a marginal fall, while plastic increased from 53.5% to 57.3%.

The figures follow the introduction of the UK’s packaging extended producer responsibility scheme in January 2025, which requires businesses supplying packaging to contribute towards the cost of managing household packaging waste.

Adam Herriott, a senior specialist for packaging at recycling campaign group Wrap, said it was too early to assess its impact because producer fees only began taking effect during 2025.

He said: “What these provisional 2025 figures do show is that pEPR can’t work in isolation.

“It needs to work alongside more consistent collections, sorting and reprocessing investment, packaging that works within the recycling system, and strong markets for recycled materials.”

The figures also show the amount of biodegradable municipal waste sent to landfill across the UK fell from 5.3 million tonnes in 2023 to 4.9 million tonnes in 2024.

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