Despite being second globally for recycling, Wales faces a challenge as recycling rates drop at tourist sites and festivals, according to WRAP. Anna Ryder Richardson and her furry friends at Manor Wildlife Park near Tenby have been helping WRAP with its research, with the organisation following the journey of everyday items from the recycling bins at the popular Wildlife Park
As the summer holidays continue across Wales and millions of people head off on staycations and day trips to visitor attractions, global environmental action NGO, WRAP, is urging the public to keep recycling when they’re out and about.
WRAP is a global environmental action NGO catalysing policy makers, businesses and individuals to transform the systems that create our food, textiles and manufactured products. Together these account for nearly 50% of global greenhouse emissions.
Its goal is to enable the world to transition from the old take-make-dispose model of production to more sustainable approaches that will radically reduce waste and carbon emissions from everyday products. To do so we examine sustainability challenges through the lens of people’s day-to-day lives and create solutions that can transform entire systems to benefit the planet, nature and people.
Wales is currently ranked second in the world when it comes to recycling, with more than half of all recycling collected in the country staying here and over 90% processed within the UK1.
Yet new research from WRAP’s Annual Tracker Survey 2026 shows that while 95% of people recycle at home, this falls dramatically by almost a third to just 65% when they are out and about at visitor destinations and festivals. This figure drops even lower to just 32% for people who say they recycle ‘very often’2 when they’re out and about.
Why are people recycling less often outside the home?
As part of Wales's ambition to become the world's No.1 recycling nation, new regulations introduced in 2024 require all businesses and workplaces – from attractions and events to schools and offices - to separate key recyclable materials meaning separate recycling facilities are available for visitors, staff and students.
But despite this progress, the latest research finds that awareness of these facilities remains low, particularly in leisure settings, with just 36% of people aware of recycling facilities at music events and 56% at visitor attractions3.
Angela Spiteri, Senior Marketing Manager at WRAP said: “Wales is aiming for the global recycling top spot this summer, but to help get there, we need to take our recycling habits with us whenever we leave home.
"Summer is when many of us head to beaches, attractions, festivals and beauty spots across Wales. While recycling at home has become second nature for most people, those habits can easily slip when we're out enjoying ourselves.
"Recycling on the go really does make a difference. Every bottle, can, sandwich foil and banana peel put in the right bin starts a new journey, with more than 90% of Wales' recycling processed in the UK and over half staying right here in Wales.
"So wherever your summer adventures take you, take a second to think before you throw. Look out for the separate recycling bins at attractions, events and visitor destinations, and choose the right one. Small actions add up."
WRAP's latest research found that uncertainty about what can be recycled, together with a lack of understanding about what happens after collection, can undermine people's confidence that their recycling makes a difference.
Building that confidence is key to encouraging people to recycle correctly and consistently, wherever they are. Just 20% of people said they feel very confident that their recycling is actually recycled and around one in five (22%) said they are unsure or not confident.
To help tackle these concerns, this summer WRAP has launched its latest ‘Be Mighty. Recycle’ out-of-home campaign which focuses on the journey of Wales’ waste, from disposal, to processing, to being turned into something completely new.
What happens next?
WRAP followed the journey of everyday items from the recycling bins at Manor Park Wildlife Farm in St Florence on the outskirts of Tenby to show that the vast majority of recycling collected in Wales is processed either within Wales itself, or in the UK, with as little as 10% processed outside the UK.
Once collected from out-of-home recycling bins, the materials are taken to a local recycling facility in their individual material streams, where they are checked, sorted and prepared for onward transport to specialist reprocessors. Depending on the material, some may undergo additional sorting or quality checks before continuing their journey.
From there, the materials are sent to specialist reprocessors - most within Wales and the UK, where it is cleaned, processed and transformed into raw materials ready to become new products and packaging.
Joan Lilley, Chief Environmental Services Officer who oversees waste and recycling at Pembrokeshire County Council, said: "Every day, facilities like ours help keep recycling moving by receiving materials collected from homes, visitor attractions and public spaces across Wales.
"The materials are checked and prepared for the next stage of their journey. Depending on the material, this may involve quality checks, consolidating loads or further sorting before they're sent to specialist reprocessors to be transformed into new products.
"We see first-hand that recycling really does make a difference. Every item placed in the right recycling bin helps keep valuable materials in circulation, reduces the need for new raw materials and gives those materials the best possible chance of becoming something new."
Where does recycling from Wales go?
- More than half of all recycling collected in Wales stays in Wales.
- 41% of plastic items such as bottles are processed in Wales.
- 83% of metal items such as cans and tins are recycled or processed in the UK, with 40% processed in Wales.
- 100% of glass collected for recycling in Wales is recycled in the UK, with 44% processed in Wales.
Source: My Recycling Wales.
What could happen to your recycling this summer?
- Recycling 9 suncream or toiletry bottles could power a big screen for 2 hours.
- 1 recycled banana peels could create enough energy to charge a smartphone.
- Recycling 1 can saves enough energy to power a fridge for 6 hours.
- Glass and metal can be endlessly recycled without losing quality.
Source: WRAP
Be Mighty. Recycle is a campaign delivered by WRAP through the Wales Recycles brand and is funded by Welsh Government.
The campaign is Wales’ biggest ever collective drive to boost Wales to No.1 in the world for recycling. It contributes to Welsh Government’s target of achieving a municipal recycling rate of at least 70% by 2025, whilst paving the way towards becoming a zero-waste nation by 2050.
WRAP’s Be Mighty. Recycle Summer campaign will be followed by Recycling Week on 14th -20th September.
To find out more about recycling this summer visit: https://www.walesrecycles.org.uk/be-mighty-summer-2026-attractions
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