Wales Workplace Recycling: New WRAP Survey Reveals Gap 2026

Key Points

• According to a new study by environmental organization WRAP, 94% of people in Wales claim that they recycle regularly at home.
• WRAP’s Annual Tracker Survey 2026 revealed that 61% of people recycle “very often” at work.
• Only 45% of students claimed they recycle “very often” at college/university.
• WRAP Cymru encourages people to take their home recycling habits to workplace, university, and elsewhere.
• The workplace recycling legislation in Wales was enforced in April 2024 and demands that workplaces, educational institutions, and other organizations must sort out major recyclable material.
• These materials include paper/card, glass, metal, plastic and food waste.
• WRAP Cymru has partnered with Cardiff University as terms of university commence.
• One of the employers that have implemented signage and communication among staff is Hugh James, a Cardiff based law firm.
• The Cabinet Minister for Sustainability in Wales, Llyr Gruffydd stated that it provides people more chances to recycle outside the home.
• WRAP Cymru has called upon organizations to use Recycle Week 2026 to assess how well they support recycling.

Wales (Wales Times) September 22, 2026 – New research suggests that while recycling is now a routine activity for most people in Wales at home, those habits are less consistent in workplaces and universities. According to WRAP’s Annual Tracker Survey 2026, reported by Business News Wales, 94% of people in Wales say they regularly recycle at home, but only 61% say they recycle “very often” at work. Among students, the figure falls further, with 45% saying they recycle “very often” at college or university.

The findings have been published as people return to work, university and daily routines after the summer holidays. WRAP Cymru, the Welsh arm of the global environmental NGO WRAP, is using the research to call on people to take the recycling behaviours they have developed at home into other places where they spend time.

As reported by Business News Wales, the survey results come more than two years after Wales introduced its workplace recycling law in April 2024. The legislation requires workplaces, educational settings and other organisations to separate key recyclable materials, including paper and card, glass, metal, plastic and food waste.

What does the new WRAP research show?

WRAP’s Annual Tracker Survey 2026 highlights a clear difference between recycling behaviour at home and recycling behaviour elsewhere.

The survey found that 94% of people in Wales say they regularly recycle at home. However, when people were asked about recycling in other settings, 61% said they recycle “very often” at work, while 45% of students said they recycle “very often” at college or university.

WRAP Cymru says the findings suggest that awareness and recycling behaviours continue to vary depending on where people spend their day. The organisation is calling for people to maintain the habits they have built at home wherever their day takes them.

According to Business News Wales, organisations across Wales have been introducing new facilities, processes and communications since the workplace recycling law came into force. These measures include clearer signage, dedicated recycling facilities and staff and student engagement.

Why is workplace recycling in Wales being highlighted?

The release of the research is timed around Recycle Week 2026. WRAP Cymru is encouraging employers, universities and other organisations across Wales to review how they support recycling and help people maintain positive habits throughout the day.

WRAP Cymru says the focus is on making recycling easier in practice, particularly in workplaces and higher education settings where large numbers of people use shared spaces.

Angela Spiteri, Senior Marketing Manager at WRAP, said the organisation’s latest findings show that being a good recycler at home does not necessarily mean those habits continue once people leave the house.

As reported by Business News Wales, Ms Spiteri said: “Wales is already one of the world’s top recycling nations, and a huge amount of hard work has gone into getting us here. But our latest findings show that being a great recycler at home doesn’t necessarily mean those habits follow us when we leave the house.”

She added that organisations across Wales have done “a lot” to make recycling easier in the more than two years since the workplace recycling law was introduced.

“The next step is helping people build those good habits into their everyday lives, whether that be at work, university or wherever else their day takes them,” Ms Spiteri said.

How is Cardiff University supporting student recycling?

WRAP Cymru is working with uk/local/cardiff/">Cardiff University as university terms begin across Wales. The organisation says higher education institutions can help students make recycling part of their daily routine.

According to Business News Wales, thousands of students use teaching spaces, libraries, cafés, halls of residence and communal areas. WRAP Cymru says universities have an opportunity to make recycling a consistent part of students’ everyday routines.

Georgina Taubman, Waste Minimisation Manager at Cardiff University, said universities can help students establish habits that remain with them after graduation.

As reported by Business News Wales, Ms Taubman said:

“At Cardiff University, we want recycling to be as simple and straightforward as possible. That means giving staff and students clear information and making recycling easy to understand in the places they use every day.”

She added that, with thousands of people moving through the university’s buildings and shared spaces, small actions can have a meaningful collective impact.

“Making sustainable choices straightforward supports our wider environmental ambitions and helps our university community play its part,”

Ms Taubman said.

Which Welsh employers are improving recycling?

Cardiff-based law firm Hugh James is among the employers highlighted by WRAP Cymru as an example of workplace recycling practice.

According to Business News Wales, the firm has used workplace signage and staff communications to support colleagues to recycle correctly and divert more waste into appropriate recycling streams.

Deborah James, Head of Facilities at Hugh James, said the firm has always aimed to reduce general office waste through reuse and recycling. She said the introduction of workplace recycling legislation gave the business an opportunity to review its approach and reinforce good practice.

As reported by Business News Wales, Ms James said the firm has recycling arrangements for a wide range of materials, including paper, cardboard, glass bottles, plastics, furniture, printer cartridges, toners, mobile phones and IT equipment.

“We have also used workplace signage and staff communications to make it clear and easy for colleagues to separate waste correctly,”

she said.

Ms James said one positive outcome has been seeing more materials diverted away from general waste and handled through appropriate recycling streams. She added that this has helped raise awareness across the firm and encouraged colleagues to support more sustainable workplace practices.

What does the Welsh Government say?

Wales’s Cabinet Minister for Sustainability, Llyr Gruffydd, welcomed the workplace recycling law and the efforts of organisations supporting recycling.

As reported by Business News Wales, Mr Gruffydd said Wales has earned its reputation as one of the world’s leading recycling nations through the efforts of households, businesses, public services and communities.

“The workplace recycling law builds on that success by giving people more opportunities to recycle in workplaces, universities and other public places,” he said.

Mr Gruffydd said it was encouraging to see workplaces finding ways to support recycling wherever people are. He said maintaining momentum would be important as Wales works towards a more circular economy and a zero-waste Wales.

WRAP also highlighted the potential impact of individual recycling actions. According to Business News Wales, Ms Spiteri said recycling a single drink can save enough energy to fully charge a laptop more than four times, while recycling six tea bags can generate enough electricity to boil a kettle for another cup.

Background of the development

Wales introduced its workplace recycling law in April 2024. The law requires workplaces, educational settings and other organisations to separate key recyclable materials, including paper and card, glass, metal, plastic and food waste.

Since then, WRAP Cymru says organisations across Wales have introduced new facilities and communications to support better recycling. These include clearer signage, dedicated recycling facilities and engagement with staff and students.

The latest findings come from WRAP’s Annual Tracker Survey 2026. WRAP Cymru is using Recycle Week 2026 to encourage employers, universities and organisations to review their recycling support and help people maintain recycling habits throughout the day.

Prediction: How may this affect workplaces and students in Wales?

For workplaces in Wales, the findings may increase attention on whether recycling systems are easy to understand and use during the working day. Employers may face greater pressure to provide clear signage, accessible recycling points and regular staff communication, particularly in offices and shared workplaces.

For students, the research suggests universities could play a larger role in shaping recycling routines. With many students using libraries, cafés, halls of residence and communal areas, universities may need to ensure recycling guidance is visible and consistent across campus spaces.

The development may also encourage organisations to measure how much waste is being diverted from general waste into recycling streams. As Wales continues to pursue a circular economy and zero-waste goal, workplace and university recycling could become an increasingly important part of everyday environmental practice.