Why should candidates in Wales sign the UKWIN Recycling Pledge?
UKWIN is calling on candidates in the forthcoming Westminster elections to agree with the need to stop building new incineration capacity, and the need to minimise waste incineration by maximising waste reduction, reuse, and recycling.
Rolling out Welsh success to the rest of the UK
There is an opportunity for lessons from the recycling successes in Wales to be applied to the rest of the UK. While waste management is a devolved matter, Welsh MPs are well-placed to support the transition to a more circular economy across the whole of the UK.
The Welsh moratorium on new incineration capacity was introduced in March 2021 and Wales went on to achieve 66% recycling in 2022/23, with several Welsh local authorities reaching 70%+ recycling rates. This stands in stark contract to England, for example, where for Local Authority Collected Waste in 2022/23 the rate of incineration (49.1%) exceeded the recycling rate (40.7%).
The Circularity Foundation is exploring the success factors associated with the world-class achievements in Wales. You can read about the history of efforts to improve the way Wales manages resources at: The power of circular citizenship in Wales (Part 1) and The power of circular citizenship in Wales (Part 2).
A Zero Waste ambition for Wales
In March 2021 the Welsh Government published ‘Beyond Recycling: A strategy to make the circular economy in Wales a reality‘. This strategy explained how: “Zero Waste is where all waste that is produced is re-used or recycled as a resource, without the need for any landfill or energy recovery [incineration]…We have long had an objective to reach zero waste by 2050 and this goes hand in hand with our goal of a net zero carbon Wales”.
Wales has a strategic target of reaching zero waste by 2050 – with a 70% recycling target by 2025. The great majority of local authority operators have met these statutory targets, supported by Government investment in change initiated by Wise about Waste in 2003 and strengthened by Towards Zero Waste in 2010 when the statutory targets were enacted. The commissioning of incinerators circa 2011 was always a temporary strategic measure and closing down the use of them for municipal waste was expected by the end of the 25 year contract in 2038/39. As Beyond Recycling acknowledges, “…the long-term solution” is “to move away from incineration”.
MPs elected in Wales can become strong advocates for ensuring that all UK-wide levers needed to support the circular economy are in place, e.g. by ensuring product longevity and recyclability, and by continuing to move away from single-use products.
Thank you to everyone who has pledged or asked a candidate to pledge!
