Written question WQ99029

The Welsh Government’s priority is to reduce reliance on landfill and the overall amount of waste managed in Wales by moving waste up the hierarchy through prevention, reuse and recycling.

The Welsh Government is committed to keeping materials in use for as long as possible and minimising waste. On this, Wales has made significant progress, with only 0.7% of municipal waste sent to landfill in 2024–25. Our focus is on continuing this transition to reduce the need for disposal and treatment.

We are supporting this through investment in infrastructure so waste can be managed more sustainably and closer to where it is produced, helping to reduce unnecessary transport and improve local resource efficiency. A range of regulatory and fiscal measures underpin this approach, including landfill tax and the Workplace Recycling Regulations, which increase recycling and reduce residual waste.

Our focus is therefore on reducing the need for all waste treatment, wherever waste originates. Through our ongoing policy development and investment in infrastructure, we are supporting a more self-sufficient circular economy in Wales. We are also introducing digital waste tracking to improve transparency across the waste chain.

Decisions about the sourcing and acceptance of waste at landfill sites are matters for operators within their permit conditions. Natural Resources Wales is responsible for regulating and enforcing those permits to ensure compliance with environmental requirements.

The movement of waste, including imports from other parts of the UK and internationally, operates within a wider regulatory and market framework. Waste can only be transported and managed where operators are appropriately authorised and where strict legal controls are met. These arrangements are governed in part by UK-wide and international rules, which limit the extent to which the Welsh Government can directly control the origin of waste entering Wales.