Municipal Waste Targets

UK targets

• Reduction in the amount of Biodegradable Municipal Waste going to landfill by 35% from the 1995 baseline tonnage by 2020.
• Recycle at least 50% of household waste by 2020.
• Packaging waste - To recover a minimum of 81% by 2019; 82% by 2020; with the following targets on the seperate materials :

Recycling targets:

Materials	2018 (%)	2019 (%)	2020 (%)
Glass	78	79	80
Plastic	53	55	57
Aluminium	58	61	64
Steel	79	82	85
Paper/Board	71	73	75
Wood	38	43	48

A revised legislative framework on waste entered into force in July 2018 as part of the EU Circular Economy Package The new targets are as follows:

• Recycling of 65% of municipal waste by 2035
• Reduction in the amount of of municipal waste sent to landfill to a maximum of 10% by 2035.
• Targets for the recycling of packaging waste have also been published but these are not as stringent as those currently required under the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) (Amendment) Regulations 2017 as shown above.

England

The Municipal Waste Targets for England remain the same as those mentioned for the UK above.

Wales

The Municipal Waste targets for Wales are:

• 70% of waste to be used, recycled or composted by 2024/25
• 30% of energy created by waste by 2024/25
• Landfill restriction of 5% of waste being sent to landfill by 2024/25
• Wales to achieve zero waste (i.e. 100% recycling) by 2050.

The Commercial and Industrial Waste targets for Wales are:

• a reduction of 1.4% per annum for Industrial Waste
• a reduction of 1.2% per annum for Commercial Waste
• 70% of Commercial and Industrial Waste to be recycled by 2025
• Recycling and recovery rate of 90% by 2019/20 for Construction and Demolition Waste.
• zero waste to [Landfill]] by 2025; and
• Wales to achieve zero waste by 2050.

Wales also have a non-statutory target to reduce the quantity of household waste by 1.2% per annum to 2050.

Scotland

Municipal Waste targets are outlined in The Waste (Scotland) Regulations 2012, as amended. They are as follows:

• Local authorities to provide a basic recycling service to all households by 1 January 2014;
• Local authorities to offer a food waste recycling service in non‐rural areas from 1 January 2016;
• A ban on material collected for recycling going to landfill or incineration (from 1 January 2014);
• A ban on Biodegradable Municipal Waste going to landfill by 1 January 2021;
• All businesses and organisations to present key recyclable material for collection from 1 January

2014;

• Food waste businesses producing over 50kg of food waste per week to present it for separate

collection from 1 January 2014;

• Food waste businesses producing over 5kg of food waste a week to present it for separate collection

from 1 January 2016;

• A ban on the use of macerators to discharge food waste into the public sewer from 1 January 2016;
• All new incinerators must ensure that metals and dense plastics have been removed from residual municipal waste prior to incineration