The publication of the latest Destination Dataset from the Welsh Government will allow householders in Wales to find out more about what happens to the material they send for recycling.

This will be the second year that the government in Wales has reported end destinations for recycling. The original ‘Dry Recycling End Destinations: a Report for Local Authorities in Wales’ was published on 22 March this year and identified where the plastic, glass, metal, wood, paper and card collected from households between April 2011 to March 2012 were sent.

These reports are the first of their kind to be published over a 12-month period, and the continued push for this information to be made publically available has stemmed from the results of a survey, undertaken by the Resource Association and YouGov plc between April and May 2012, that showed that 73 per cent of people did not know the exact end locations of their recyclables, and 32 per cent would be ‘much more likely or more likely to recycle’ if more information about end destinations was made available to them.

2012-2013 findings

The latest dataset for 2012-13 has the information for almost 20 groups of material that are recycled and composted, including furniture, batteries and food waste, compared to only six groups (plastic, glass, metal, wood, paper and card) from previous years.

According to the data, between April 2012 and March 2013, households in Wales reused, recycled or composted 815,139 tonnes of waste through sorting facilities and reprocessors, of which 24,269 tonnes was sent for export.

The largest component of this was 279,374 tonnes of organic material. And over half of this was sent to anaerobic digestion facilities, or for in-vessel composting, reflecting a high level of food waste collection.

Residents can search by local authority, material type or quarter to find out exactly when and where their recycling is going.

Even though the Welsh Government requires local authorities to report the destination of household recyclate, there are instances where local authorities are not yet able to track all waste to its final location. Natural Resources Wales is continuing to provide advice and guidance to local authorities to improve this.

Alun Davies, Minister for Natural Resources and Food in Wales said: “This annual dataset has the potential to be extremely useful to businesses looking to source materials for use in manufacturing and I hope it will help to develop markets for recycled goods to benefit Wales.

“I am committed to developing a circular economy in Wales, in which we can conserve our natural resources and make the most efficient use of materials. High quality recyclable materials can fetch a high price, and I want to see Wales develop these markets to encourage growth and green jobs.”

End Destinations Charter

Due to the increased interest from the public about what happens to household recycling, the Resource Association launched the End Destination Recycling Charter,which aims to increase the availability of public information surrounding this subject. Recent sign ups to the charter include Cherwell District Council and Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council.

Read the full 2012/13 End Destinations Report.