Wales recycling rates show significant gap between home and workplace

New research from the environmental NGO WRAP suggests a significant gap exists between recycling habits in Welsh homes and other settings. While 94% of people in Wales report recycling regularly at home, only 61% say they recycle “very often” at work, and that figure drops to 45% among students at colleges or universities.

The findings from the WRAP Annual Tracker Survey 2026 come more than two years after a workplace recycling law took effect in Wales in April 2024. This legislation requires workplaces and educational institutions to separate materials such as paper, card, glass, metal, plastic, and food waste.

Data indicates that access to facilities remains a challenge; only 30% of respondents reported seeing many recycling facilities at their workplace, while 20% could not recall seeing any. Among students, 38% could not recall seeing recycling options at their institutions. WRAP Cymru is calling on employers and educational organizations to make facilities more visible and easier to use to help bridge this gap.