Resources

Webinar
10 November 2023

The latest Recycling Tracker results from March 2023 were published during Recycle Week 2023. The tracker results demonstrate several key findings about the recycling behaviours of people from across the UK. The annual survey of UK citizens has been running since 2004, it gathers evidence on recycling attitudes, knowledge, and behaviours.

Initiatives:
  • Consumer behaviour
  • Re-use & recycling
  • Collections and sorting
  • Re-use
Sector:
  • Local Authorities
Guide
26 October 2023

As much as 80% of a textile product’s environmental impact is determined at the design stage. Therefore, the decisions made by design and product development teams have a huge impact on a product’s environmental footprint – from the raw materials used, to how the product is manufactured, the length of time it is kept in use and what happens to it when it is no longer desired or reaches the end of its usable life.

There is a lot to think about, which is why we have created our Circular Design Toolkit - a go-to resource for the fashion and textiles industry.

Initiatives:
  • Textiles
  • Fibre & fabric selection
  • Consumer behaviour
  • Re-use & recycling
  • Non-clothing textiles
  • Design for extending clothing life
  • Textiles 2030
  • Re-use
Sector:
  • Manufacturers
  • Retailers and brands
  • Textiles sourcers, producers and designers
  • Trade associations
  • National government and departments
  • Non-governmental organisations
Report
24 October 2023

The 2022 Plastics Market Situation report updates on the amount of plastic packaging Placed On the Market (POM), collection rates, recycling rates, and provides an update on key developments over the past few years highlighting the challenges and opportunities ahead.

Key themes: 
  • Fall in plastic packaging placed on the market
  • Movement away from rigid plastic packaging towards lightweight and flexible plastics in the consumer sector.  
  • Domestic recycling of plastic has increased to 53%.
  • Planned recycling capacity increases will be a boost but will still fall well below current levels of plastic packaging consumption.  
  • Collection rates are improving for plastic packaging with more flexible plastic, rigid plastics, plastic bottles and PTTs being collected at kerbside. 
Initiatives:
  • Plastic Packaging
  • The UK Plastics Pact
  • Plastic packaging design
  • Global Plastics Pacts
  • Film and flexible packaging
  • Waste management and end markets
  • Market situation reports
Sector:
  • Manufacturers
  • Retailers and brands
  • Waste management and reprocessors
  • Local Authorities
  • Packaging producers
  • National government and departments
  • Non-governmental organisations
Report
18 October 2023

The Recycling Tracker is an annual survey of UK households that gathers evidence on recycling attitudes, knowledge, and behaviour. ​It is the largest and longest running of its kind, having been undertaken by WRAP since 2004. ​

The survey uses boost sampling in Northern Ireland to provide a robust, enhanced sample of Northern Irish citizens. Fieldwork was undertaken online, from 20 - 30 March 2023. A total of 5,343 interviews were undertaken UK-wide with adults who have responsibility for dealing with the rubbish and recycling in the home. This included a sample of 563 adults in Northern Ireland. The sample matches the known profile of the Northern Ireland population, with quotas set on age, gender, region and social grade.

Initiatives:
  • Collections & recycling
  • Consistency in collections
  • Service design
  • Communicating with residents
  • Contamination prevention
  • Collections and sorting
  • Kerbside collection
  • Recycling in urban areas
  • Dry materials
  • Organics
Sector:
  • Manufacturers
  • Retailers and brands
  • Waste management and reprocessors
  • Local Authorities
  • Packaging producers
  • National government and departments
Report
18 October 2023

The Recycling Tracker is an annual survey of UK households that gathers evidence on recycling attitudes, knowledge, and behaviour. ​It is the largest and longest running of its kind, having been undertaken by WRAP since 2004. ​

Fieldwork was undertaken online from 20 - 30 March 2023. A total of 5,343 interviews were undertaken with UK adults who have responsibility for dealing with the rubbish and recycling in the home. The sample matches the known profile of the population, with quotas set on age, gender, region, social class, and ethnicity.

Initiatives:
  • Collections & recycling
  • Consistency in collections
  • Service design
  • Communicating with residents
  • Contamination prevention
  • Collections and sorting
  • Kerbside collection
  • Recycling in urban areas
  • Dry materials
  • Organics
Sector:
  • Manufacturers
  • Retailers and brands
  • Waste management and reprocessors
  • Local Authorities
  • Packaging producers
  • National government and departments
Webinar
3 October 2023

In this webinar the Local Authority team will get you up to speed on everything you need to know about WRAP’s Gate Fees 2022/2023 report.

Initiatives:
  • Collections & recycling
  • Recovered materials markets
  • Gate fees
Sector:
  • Waste management and reprocessors
  • Local Authorities
  • Packaging producers
Report
2 October 2023

Over the last decade, the circular economy has been a huge success story. In the UK it has grown by 20% between 2014 and 2019. 

While roughly equal numbers of jobs are held by men and women across the UK, only 25% of jobs in the circular economy are held by women. This understates and undervalues the role of women who frequently undertake unpaid activities such as volunteering within the sector.

Initiatives:
  • Plastic Packaging
  • Food and drink
  • Textiles
  • Collections & recycling
Webinar
11 September 2023

A webinar to support the launch of the Recycle Week 2023 toolkit and assets that are available to download and customise for local use in England and Northern Ireland.

Initiatives:
  • Collections & recycling
  • Communicating with residents
  • Collections and sorting
  • Kerbside collection
  • Recycling in urban areas
  • Dry materials
Sector:
  • Manufacturers
  • Retailers and brands
  • Local Authorities
Report
6 September 2023

The Gate Fees 2022/23 report summarises the findings of WRAP’s sixteenth annual gate fees survey. The survey covers gate fees charged to local authorities in the UK for a range of municipal waste recycling, recovery, and disposal options.

Initiatives:
  • Collections & recycling
  • Recovered materials markets
  • Gate fees
Sector:
  • Waste management and reprocessors
  • Local Authorities
Report
25 July 2023

The scale of plastic pollution from composts and digestates, its potential impact and opportunities for its mitigation are largely unquantified. This project has explored some of these questions to develop an understanding of the knowledge base and data gaps.

    Initiatives:
    • Collections & recycling
    • Organics
    • Recovered materials markets
    Sector:
    • Farmers and growers
    • Waste management and reprocessors
    • Local Authorities
    • National government and departments
    Report
    17 July 2023

    From new voluntary agreements in Colombia and Denmark to engaging citizens in 12 countries through Food Waste Action Week, our Annual Report gives an insight into what WRAP was busy working on in 2022/23. 

    Initiatives:
    • Plastic Packaging
    • Circular Economy Fund
    • Public Sector Procurement Support
    • Food and drink
    • Textiles
    • Collections & recycling
    Sector:
    • Farmers and growers
    • Hospitality and food service
    • Manufacturers
    • Retailers and brands
    • Textiles sourcers, producers and designers
    • Waste management and reprocessors
    • Local Authorities
    • Packaging producers
    • Trade associations
    • National government and departments
    • Non-governmental organisations
    Webinar
    4 July 2023

    Consistency and the Circular economy – it’s actually not a new concept – hear from Dr Henry Irving, a historian at Leeds Beckett University who has partnered with WRAP for a British Academy-funded project.

    Initiatives:
    • Collections & recycling
    Sector:
    • Local Authorities