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Wales commercial waste collection
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Commercial waste collection providers in Wales
Wales is a vast country with many businesses in rural areas like Snowdonia National Park and the Gower Peninsula.
According to Welsh waste legislation, these businesses must arrange and pay for commercial waste collections for general waste and six different recycling types. However, options for providers are often limited.
Our waste experts have prepared this guide on commercial waste options for Welsh businesses to assist. The primary choice for business owners is between a council-provided service and one of the following trusted private waste providers:
Biffa
Biffa is the UK’s largest commercial waste provider, offering comprehensive commercial waste collection services throughout Wales. In Wales, Biffa employs more than 80 team members and collected over 1.4 million tonnes of waste last year.
Serves: All of Wales
Smiths
Smiths provides regular commercial waste collection services throughout South Wales, including Newport and Cardiff. Established in 1982, Smiths has become the region’s most prominent independent collector of trade waste.
Serves: South Wales
Ash Waste Services
Ash Waste Services is a leading provider of commercial waste services, boasting over 35 years of experience in delivering effective, ethical, and excellent value collections. Its expanding service area in Wales centres around its depot in Wrexham.
Serves: North East Wales
Veolia
Veolia is a major national waste provider, offering comprehensive coverage for regular business recycling and waste collections to 90% of the UK. Veolia operates commercial waste depots in Cardiff in South Wales and Holyhead in North Wales.
Serves: All of Wales
Commercial waste collection with local Welsh councils
Companies owning properties in Wales contribute to local services through business rates. Unfortunately, these services do not include business waste collection.
Welsh businesses must arrange and finance their own commercial waste collection services.
Most of Wales’s 22 unitary and borough councils provide a commercial waste service for a fee in addition to their complimentary domestic waste collections.
Our experts have compiled and provided links to the services offered by each local council:
| Local council waste page | Commercial waste service | Our full guide |
|---|---|---|
| Blaenau Gwent | Not currrently accepting customers | |
| Bridgend | Yes - Business waste and recycling collections | |
| Caerphilly | Yes - Business waste and recycling collections | |
| Cardiff | Yes - Business waste and recycling collections | Cardiff Commercial Waste Collections |
| Carmarthenshire | None - directed to a private provider | |
| Ceredigion | Yes - Business waste and recycling collections | |
| Conwy | Yes - Business waste and recycling collections | |
| Denbighshire | Yes - Business waste and recycling collections | |
| Flintshire | No commercial waste service | |
| Gwynedd | Yes - Business waste and recycling collections | |
| Isle of Anglesey | No commercial waste service | |
| Merthyr Tydfil | Yes - Business waste and recycling collections | |
| Monmouthshire | Yes - Business waste and recycling collections | |
| Neath Port Talbot | Yes - Business waste and recycling collections | |
| Newport City | No commercial waste service | Coming soon |
| Pembrokeshire | Yes - Business waste and recycling collections | |
| Powys | Yes - Business waste and recycling collections | |
| Rhondda Cynon Taf | Yes - Business waste and recycling collections | |
| City of Swansea | Yes - Business waste and recycling collections | Coming soon |
| Torfaen | Yes - Business waste and recycling collections | |
| Vale of Glamorgan | Yes - Business waste and recycling collections | |
| Wrexham | No commercial waste service |
💡The commercial waste prices set by local councils are often not competitive. We advise comparing your quote with those from national providers using our waste quote comparison service.
Commercial recycling services in Wales
On 6 April 2024, the Welsh Government introduced new regulations requiring businesses to separately store and arrange for the disposal of the following six waste streams:
- Food waste
- Paper and Card
- Glass
- Metal, plastics and cartons
- Textiles
- Waste electrical and electronic equipment
💡 Read on for a full breakdown of the new waste regulations for Welsh businesses.
While most commercial waste collection providers offer separate collections for each of these streams, we have also provided information on alternative specialist services available in Wales:
Commercial food waste collections in Wales
National food waste provider Olleco provides a specialist commercial food waste service, including used cooking oil collections.
Commercial paper and card recycling in Wales
Enava, a waste paper company located in the Vale of Glamorgan offers GDPR-compliant regular paper and cardboard collection services for Welsh businesses.
Commercial textiles collections in Wales
Welsh waste regulations mandate that unsold (and thus new) textiles must be disposed of separately.
These items are ideally suited for reuse by charities, such as Collect My Clothes Wales. For more information, please refer to our comprehensive guide on recycling in the textiles and clothing sector.
Commercial metals, plastics and cartons recycling in Wales
Although grouping metals and plastics may seem confusing, this recycling container is designed for businesses that dispose of aluminium and tin cans and store them alongside recyclable plastics. Heavier industries should consider a dedicated commercial metal recycling service.
Commercial electronic waste disposal in Wales
There are several options for Welsh businesses to dispose of IT equipment securely. Here are trusted commercial electronic waste collection providers serving different parts of Wales:
- Waste Savers – Serving Newport, Cardiff, Monmouthshire and Torfaen.
- Keep Tidy Wales – All of Wales
- Wales Recycling IT – North Wales
Commercial glass recycling in Wales
Glass is an easy-to-recycle waste stream. Welsh businesses that dispose of bottles and jars must store these in a separate commercial waste bin. Commercial glass recycling is offered by all the Welsh council and private waste providers.
Waste regulations for Welsh businesses
On 6 April 2024, the Welsh Government introduced new commercial recycling regulations. These regulations aim to enhance the quality and quantity of non-domestic recycling in Wales.
The regulations address the common issue of cross-contamination in commercial dry mixed recycling, which complicates the recycling process.
Below, we summarise the new requirements of this piece of devolved waste legislation:
Separate Welsh commercial recycling collections
The law mandates that all businesses in Wales producing a mix of recyclable waste must segregate, store, and arrange for separate collections of:
- Food waste (where businesses produce more than 5 Kg per week)
- Paper and Card
- Glass
- Metal, plastics and cartons
- Unsold Textiles
- Unsold small waste electrical and electronic equipment
This means that any commercial property generating any of the above waste streams must use a separate commercial waste bin for its storage and collection.
The legislation advises that staff and contractors are provided with clear instructions on waste segregation and that waste containers are clearly labelled.
Banned Welsh commercial waste disposals
The new regulations prohibit Welsh businesses from disposing of waste in the following manners:
- Disposing of food waste as trade effluent – Welsh businesses must not dispose of food waste into the sewerage systems managed by Welsh Water or Hafren Dyfrdwy.
- Disposing of recyclable waste going to landfill – No recyclable waste streams (see categories above) can be sent to landfill.
- Disposing of wood in landfill – Welsh businesses must not dispose of wood as part of general business waste sent to landfills.
Who does the commercial waste code of practice apply to?
The new Welsh commercial waste regulations apply to the occupants of non-domestic premises, including:
- Businesses
- Public sector organisations
- Third sector (non-profits, charities etc.)
Welsh commercial waste penalties
The Commercial Waste Code of Practice for Wales, legally embedded within the Waste Separation Requirements (Wales) Regulations 2023, is binding.
Non-compliance with the requirements in this code constitutes an offence, with courts authorised to impose fines of up to an unlimited amount on companies.
The commercial waste providers operating in Wales, highlighted in this guide, are available to assist your business in complying with the new waste regulations.
Source: Separate Collection of Waste Materials for Recycling – A Code of Practice for Wales.
Beyond recycling – Wales’s circular economy aims and what they mean for businesses
Wales is already the highest-performing home nation in terms of recycling rates, achieving 65%—well above the average of less than 50% for the other nations. However, the ambition extends much further.
The Welsh Government’s “Beyond Recycling” initiative outlines plans to transition Wales into a Circular Economy.
The plan sets a goal for Wales to achieve the highest recycling rates in the world. It proposes eight key actions to assist businesses in reducing the environmental impact of their waste:
Our experts have summarised the key aspects of this plan impacting Welsh businesses:
- Promoting business models that value resource conservation, such as leasing goods rather than selling them.
- Encouraging the identification of value in waste materials for high-quality reuse in secondary markets.
- Supporting the adoption of digital solutions and the effective use of data to shorten supply chains.
- Fostering innovation in bioplastics and other solutions to reduce non-recyclable waste.
- Implementing restrictions on the sale of single-use plastic items.
- Preparing businesses for the introduction of a Plastic Packaging Tax.
For more detailed information, you can access the full plan published by the Welsh Government in 2021:
Source: Beyond Recycling – A strategy to make the circular economy in Wales a reality