LARAC -

Waste policy has been devolved to the Welsh Assembly Government.

The Government of Wales Act 2006 enabled the Welsh Assembly to bring forward its own programme of legislation, subject to scrutiny and approval by the National Assembly for Wales.

Currently the National Assembly for Wales does not have full law making power, however the All Wales Convention is preparing the ground for a referendum on full law making powers for Wales.

Towards Zero Waste is an overarching waste strategy document that sets out how the Welsh Assembly Government will build on the successes achieved through Wise about Waste: the National Waste Strategy for Wales (2002).

It describes a long term framework for resource efficiency and waste management from 2010-2050.

Wales has a single tier of 22 local authorities, which are supported by the Welsh Local Government Associations (WLGA).

There are 3 regional waste planning areas in Wales which include the North Region, the South East Wales Region and the South Wales Region.

These voluntary coalitions of councils have each produced a Regional Waste Plan. Plans are revised very 3 years.

Recent review of the Regional Waste Plans helped shape Toward Zero Waste, the Welsh Waste Strategy 2010.

Under the Welsh Plan Rationalisation Programme to reduce the administrative burden placed on local authorities through Assembly Government planning requirements, there is no requirement for local authorities to produce individual waste management plans.

The Landfill allowances Scheme (Wales) Regulations 2004 came into force on 1 October 2004. The scheme does not permit trading of allowances.

The biodegradable content of collected municipal waste is assumed to be 61% by weight.

Penalties for exceeding allowances are set at £200/tonne of BMW.

The Act enables the National Assembly for Wales to produce Regulations to adopt its provisions within Wales. No regulations have been issued.

National targets detailed in Toward Zero Waste are:

o    70% recycling/composing of all wastes by 2025
o    90% reuse/recycling of construction wastes by 2025
o    Maximum 30% residual waste by 2025

No more than 30% waste to landfill by 2025.

The Hazardous Waste (Wales) regulations 2005 implement the Hazardous Waste Directive (Directive 91/689/EC) in Wales, and require segregation and separate storage of hazardous wastes.

Towards Zero Waste sets waste reduction targets of:

    1.5% per year until 2050 (based on 2007 baseline)

    27% reduction in wastes by 2025 (based on 2007 baseline)

By 2010, achieve a reduction in waste produced equivalent to at least 10% of the 1998 arisings figure.

Wales Assembly Government £73 million Sustainable Waste Management Grant (2010-11).

Wales Programme of Improvement 2002.

Indicators contained within the 2010-11 Performance Measurement Framework for local authorities in Wales include:
    The % of local authority collected municipal waste i. prepared for reuse, ii. recycled and iii. collected as source segregated biowaste and composted or treated biologically in another way
    The % of local authority  municipal received at all local authority household waste amenity sites that is prepared for resue, recycled, or of source segregated biowaste that is composted or treated biologically in another way
    The % of local authority collected municipal waste used to recover heat and power
    The % of biodegradable waste sent to landfill
    The % of municipal waste collected by local authorities sent to landfill

The data is processed by the Wales Local Government Data Unit.

Quarterly Waste Data Flow returns to the Environment Agency Wales.

Most local authorities are part of a Municipal Waste Benchmarking Club run by the Wales Audit Office.

All 22 councils in Wales are APSE members.

Co-ordinated by WLGA, the Waste Improvement Programme is developing a process of benchmarking waste finance data.

Not paid in Wales as the WDA and WCA are combined in each Unitary Authority. Third party recycling payments are paid (e.g. to community sector groups).

Waste Awareness Wales is national consumer campaign designed to promote sustainable waste management practices,  e.g  free e-card service to  reduce paper waste, Clothes Swap ideas, Home Composting promotion.

Wales committed to the RecycleNow brand.

Landfill Tax Credit Scheme  funds spent on strategic projects to implement the Wales waste strategy (see ‘Other initiatives’ below).

Wales Assembly Government (WAG)  funding a Welsh Local Government Association Peer Review initiative to review the performance of each local authority and identify and disseminate good practice.

WRAP Wales support programme for construction & manufacturing sector, composting,and businesses.

The community waste recycling sector is represented by the Wales Community Recycling Network, Cylch. The organisation receives core funding from WAG.