Recycling Tracking Survey in Wales: Autumn 2022

The survey uses boost sampling in Wales to provide a robust, enhanced sample of Welsh citizens. Fieldwork was undertaken online, from 03 - 15 November 2022. A total of 5,251 interviews were undertaken UK-wide with adults who have responsibility for dealing with the rubbish and recycling in the home. This included a sample of 1,041 adults in Wales. The sample matches the known profile of the Wales population, with quotas set on age, gender and region.

The tracker results demonstrate a number of key findings about recycling behaviour:

• Recycling is a normalised behaviour with 95% of Welsh citizens doing so regularly;
• There remains scope for improvement in Wales, both in terms of missed opportunities to recycle as well as putting items in the recycling that are not accepted;
• Almost half (47%) miss opportunities to recycle common items;
• Over four in five (84%) dispose of an item in the recycling that is not accepted;
• Positive trends are evident. For example, 2022 has seen reduced contamination with plastic bags, films and wrapping;
• On average, Welsh citizens dispose of 5.0 items incorrectly. This is in line with the latest UK findings;
• When it comes to food recycling, almost four in five (78%) are food waste recyclers, a level consistent with the last two years;
• There are opportunities to improve the experience of food recycling, with over two in five (43%) reporting they often experience liquid residues in the caddy and close to one in five liners splitting (19%) or flies in the home (19%). Reported problems are highly linked to satisfaction with the caddy liners, either indicating that some types of liners are preferred or simply different levels of expectations and tolerances among households;
• Overall, the survey finds there is a high satisfaction with the waste and recycling service in Wales and has improved in recent years;
• Finally, among those who engaged with Recycle Week 2022, just over half (53%) said they did something differently as a result.

Download the full and summary reports below. Available in English and in Welsh.