Section 12.1 Table 1: Institutions involved and distribution of tasks |
Name of institution |
Description of key responsibilities |
UK: Department of Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) |
Co-ordination of UK data collection. Sourcing of data and calculation of estimates on behalf of all UK for several types of waste (dredging, ELVs, mining, agriculture, fishing and offshore). Combining of data collected by Devolved Administrations and data collected by Defra to form UK estimates. Identifying and adjusting for double counting that might occur during data collation. Ensuring consistent approaches to reporting across the UK. Submission of completed UK templates to Eurostat and solving of validation failures. Preparation of UK quality report |
ENGLAND: Defra |
Co-ordination and collection of England data sets 1, 2 and 3. Procurement of 'Reconcile' project for Commercial & Industrial estimates. |
ENGLAND: Environment Agency |
Co-ordination and collection of England data for both infrastructure templates. Collating data from permits regulated under the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2010 for England. Supply of treatment template completed in respect of permitted treatments. Supply of generation template completed in respect of secondary waste from permitted treatment facilities. Production of data and quality report aspects for England. |
WALES: Welsh Government (WG), Natural Resources Wales |
Production of data (including construction and demolition, industrial and commercial and household) and quality report aspects for Wales. |
SCOTLAND: Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) |
Production of data (including construction and demolition, industrial and commercial and household) and quality report aspects for Scotland. Production of estimates for UK forestry wastes.
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NI: Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) |
Production of data (including construction and demolition, industrial and commercial and household) and quality report aspects for Northern Ireland. |
Data set 1: Waste generation
Table 2: Data set 1 (Waste generation), General description of methodology |
The data set has been compiled from a variety of different data sources from each of the four countries which make up the UK. Due to the vast number of source it is not feasible to describe each in full detail in this report. England makes up 84% of the UK by population and accounts for around 85% of primary waste generated. As a consequence, the methods used in England will have most impact on the final results. The key data sources for waste generation are:
- Mandatory returns from all facilities with a waste permit.
- Administrative data on all Local Authority Collected Waste.
- Re-gross of historic sample surveys for industrial and commercial waste and construction and demolition waste (Wales only - see Section 8.2).
- Data from other public sector organisations (e.g. Cefas, Department for Transport, Forestry Commission).
Continuity of the main data sources is thought to be good across the UK. Much of the critical data comes from returns from waste treatment facilities which are permitted in keeping with The Environmental Permitting Regulations 2010, which are expected to continue and to provide annual data. Local Authority collection data is currently seen as a high priority area in Defra and the Welsh Government and there is a legal requirement on Local Authorities to provide data. Scotland has similar regulations covering permitting of sites that submit waste returns. The Zero Waste Scotland aggregates directory is dependent on continued funding, and SEPA are considering legislative alternatives to obtain this data. NI anticipate that data returns from waste management facilities will continue to be mandatory, similar to previous years. |
Table 3: Data set 1 (Waste generation) Determination of waste generation by (sample) survey |
No sample surveys were used to estimate waste generation for WStatR 2018. Wales determined Industrial & Commercial waste generation by (sample) survey as outlined in Section 8.2 |
Table 4: Data set 1 (Waste generation) Waste generation in the economy on the basis of information on waste treatment |
Description of the method |
Scope of the indirect determination (waste types and economic sectors covered) |
Method(s) applied for differentiation by waste sources (generating economic sector) |
Restrictions of the applied methods |
All UK: Secondary waste for columns E38 and G4677 of the generation template is taken from site returns of waste leaving permitted waste treatment facilities. |
All waste removed from 'treatment' sites is mapped to NACE E38. All waste removed from Metal Recycling Sites is mapped to NACE G4677. |
The data includes small amounts of primary waste. These are identified and removed by Scotland. The primary waste element cannot be identified for England, Wales and NI so they remain |
England, Northern Ireland and Scotland: Commercial and Industrial waste for columns C10-33, D, E36_E37_E39 and G-U_X_G4677 are modelled, based on inputs into waste treatment facilities. |
Data is recorded at EWC code level. For England and NI, these are mapped to NACE industries using mappings provided by experienced waste contractors as part of a methodological project. |
The data used does not indicate which sites waste has come from or is bound for. As some waste passes through multiple treatment sites, a level of double counting will exist, however it is impossible to identify and remove this. |
England and Northern Ireland: The modelling process to estimate all wastes attributed to the construction industry (NACE F) except for dredging spoils is based on estimating the final treatment of waste and then assuming that this is equal to the generation. |
All waste from the process is assumed to be NACE F. The largest proportion of the tonnage is derived from aggregate produced from CD&E waste materials. In addition, all wastes backfilled are assumed to be CD&E, regardless of their EWC code. Waste flowing through permitted sites is assumed to be from NACE F if it is a Chapter 17 code, however a proportion of Chapter 19 waste is also assumed to be from NACE F. This proportion is as assumed to be equal to the Chapter 17 proportion of total waste received by permitted sites (transfer, treatment or MRS). |
Large tonnages of Chapter 19 mixed waste are sent to landfill (around 4 million tonnes in England) and so the tonnage assumed to be construction waste is sensitive to fluctuations in the accuracy of this assumption year on year. |
Details of the Scotland C&I waste generation method can be found on the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency website at https://www.sepa.org.uk/environment/waste/waste-data/waste-data-reporting/waste-data-for-scotland/. In this method waste generated, including secondary waste, is estimated from operator surveys (large tonnage sites), EWC codes or inferred from historical surveys. It also includes waste data from surveys of aggregate producers from the Zero Waste Scotland Aggregate Directory. |
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Wales Commercial and Industrial waste for columns C10-33, D, E36_E37_E39 and G-U_X_G4677 are based on a sample survey. |
Standard Industrial Classification codes used throughout the survey and verified with businesses surveyed |
Net changes in employment were assumed to represent changes in activity levels in a given sector, which themselves were assumed to be proportional to the change in the amount of waste generated. The estimation approach also assumes no changes in waste management practice between the time when the surveys were conducted (in 2012) and 2016. |
Wales Construction waste was derived from the 2012 Construction & Demoliton survey that has been re-grossed. |
Standard Industrial Classification codes used throughout the survey and verified with businesses surveyed. |
Net changes in employment were assumed to represent changes in activity levels in a given sector, which themselves were assumed to be proportional to the change in the amount of waste generated. The estimation approach also assumes no changes in waste management practice between the time when the surveys were conducted (in 2012) and 2016. |
England domestic sewage sludge: column E36_E37_E39, Common Sludges row is captured at final treatment as no measurements are taken further up the stream (i.e. generation or intermediate treatment). |
The figure reported is the same reported for UWWT. The assumption is that it is appropriate to consider this as generated by the water processing industry (part of E36_E37_E39) rather than households and businesses. |
It's unclear if intermediate processes such as AD have reduced the dry weight. |
Table 5: Data set 1 (Waste generation) Waste generation in the economy on the basis of information on waste collection |
Description of the method |
Scope of the indirect determination (waste types and economic sectors covered) |
Method(s) applied for differentiation by waste sources (generating economic sector) |
Restrictions of the applied methods |
UK: The only estimates based on waste collection are for waste from households, which is described in detail in table 8 below. |
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Table 6: Data set 1 (Waste generation) Waste generation in the economy on the basis of information on administrative sources |
Description of the method |
Scope of the indirect determination (waste types and economic sectors covered) |
Source of dataset |
Data quality |
UK Marine Dredging Spoils (F) Annual data on dredging waste dumped at sea is reported by the UK to OSPAR. Data was reported as dry weight. |
Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS). |
There were no projects on the Cefas register without data for 2018, so there were no estimates. |
England: Sewage sludge (E36_37_39, Common sludges) Following the Eurostat project in late 2014/early 2015 to synchronise sewage datasets, it was agreed that this cell should be completed using final figures from the UWWT (Urban Waste Water Treatment) return. This return is completed by the Environment agencies of the UK with reference to returns by water companies. The administrative data reported on tonnages of sewage sludge (in dry weight) sent to different types of treatment outlets in 2018. See also table 4. |
Environment Agency collections from water companies. |
Data quality has been improved by the Environment Agency through consultation with water companies to improve their understanding of what measurements to submit. It is a relatively new data collection (since about 2012) and is likely to be conducted on an annual basis for the foreseeable future. |
UK (except Scotland): Determination of Waste Generated by Offshore Operations. This covers a range of waste types in small tonnages. All of the tonnages from this exercise are allocated to NACE B (Mining) as this seems closest to oil extraction which is the main source of these wastes. Data is collected annually on a voluntary basis through an on-line reporting system known as the Environmental Emissions Management System (EEMS)[1]. EEMS is the environmental database of the UK Oil & Gas industry and has been in existence since 1992. It provides measured and calculated data relating to emissions from offshore installations and associated onshore terminals, including data on waste generation. All oil and gas operators in the UK report data through EEMS and as they are all covered by an Environmental Management System the quality of the data is expected to be good. Industrial effluent sludges were converted from wet weight to dry by multiplying by a factor of 0.27, in line with wet/dry ratios used in previous returns. Wastes described as ‘hazardous water’ were not reported at all as the dry weight was deemed to be negligible. In Scotland, offshort waste was determined as part of the C&I dataset (for details see methodology at https://www.sepa.org.uk/environment/waste/waste-data/waste-data-reporting/waste-data-for-scotland/). In this method, the waste source is determined by the geographic waste origin , inlcuding "offshore" origin, specified in the licensed waste site return. [1] https://www.gov.uk/guidance/oil-and-gas-eems-database |
Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy |
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Table 7: Data set 1 (Waste generation) Waste generation in the economy on the basis of models or other methods |
Description of the models |
Scope of the model (waste types and economic sectors covered) |
Basic data for the estimations (production figures etc.) |
Description of the model |
Factors applied |
Main assumptions required |
Routines applied or foreseen to guarantee sufficient quality (periodical revision of factors, focused surveys for verification etc.) |
Agriculture (NACE A) for UK |
Production, crop areas and livestock counts from the June Survey of Agriculture and Horticulture |
The Model works by applying unit waste arising factors by livestock numbers or crop areas in a spreadsheet. Animal, vegetal and livestock wastes (EWC-STAT 09.1, 09.2, 09.3) are excluded since the majority are likely to be beneficially used on farm and will therefore not be classified as waste. |
Numerous historic factors (e.g. polythene feed sacks per sheep stocked) |
Factors do not change over time |
Agriculture has been identified as a small contributor to overall waste, so has received less scrutiny than other areas as a result. The process was reviewed during the compilation of WStatR 2014. Whilst there are several possible data sources/methods of estimation for this type of waste, no better method has been identified. |
Forestry (NACE A) for UK |
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For England, Wales and Northern Ireland, limited data for the forestry sector was provided by the Forestry Commission for previous returns[1]. Thus the data related to waste was generated by a small sample of workshops and additional observations on arisings of chemical and plastic wastes. As no new sources of data have arisen since 2008, estimates for waste generation have been produced using the same method of grossing up to wooded land area. For Scotland, the forestry waste was estimated through the C&I methodology (see https://www.sepa.org.uk/environment/waste/waste-data/waste-data-reporting/waste-data-for-scotland/). In summary, the industry sector is obtain through survey of licensed site operators for high tonnages sites, and for other sites inferred from the EWC code or from historical surveys.
[1] Forestry Statistics 2016 - Woodland Areas and Planting [accessed 20 Feb 2018 https://www.forestry.gov.uk/website/forstats2016.nsf/0/85FE582A00A2511080257FE0004B2C9A?open&RestrictToCategory=1]
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Tonnes of waste generated per ha of woodland |
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No new sources of data have arisen for waste arisings since 2008 so this is likely to be reducing in accuracy. The tonnages involved are negligible compared to other areas of waste generation so this has received a proportional level of focus. |
Mining and Quarrying (NACE B) for UK |
Production of individual minerals, from the British Geological Survey. |
Basic spreadsheet model. A set of factors is used to estimate waste generated from the production of each mineral. Each factor gives the ratio of waste to production. |
Factors give the ratio of waste to production. |
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The factors were thoroughly reviewed by the CBI (Confederation of British Industry) Minerals Group during the WStatR 2010 process. It was felt that no further review was necessary for 2012 or 2014 as the factors should remain stable over time. Informal checks were made to verify the influential factor for slate and on review for 2016, it was felt the factor was incorrect so was amended. Updates have been done for 2010, 2012 and 2014. Limited data was available for 2018 so some proportions from 2014 were used to estimate production of various minerals, but data was available for the different countries. |
Fishing Waste (NACE A) (England, NI, Wales) |
Demersal and shellfish landings in the UK published by the Marine Management Organisation. Annual fish farm mortality data collected by SEPA. Data on non-fish waste from sea fishing vessels, for example, oils, nets, packaging etc. collected at ports is held by the British Ports Association and the Northern Ireland Fishery Harbour Authority (NIFHA). |
The main waste streams generated by fishing operations are as follows:
- Fish discards and fish processing waste from sea fishing operations. These wastes are generally disposed at sea (data no longer available, from WStatR 2014 onwards).
- Fish discards due to routine and catastrophic fish mortalities from commercial sea and freshwater fish farms
- Other waste associated with sea fishing and fish farm operations (e.g. broken nets, packaging waste, waste oils)
The waste from the latter two waste streams identified above, generated in the UK by fishing operations in 2018 has been calculated using the following methodologies and sources: Calculation of fish discards from commercial fish farming operations The calculation of wastes associated with routine and catastrophic fish mortalities from freshwater fish farming have been done based on waste arisings related to trout farm mortalities per tonne of fish produced in 2003[1]. This factor have been multiplied by the fish produced in freshwater fish farms in the UK in 2018 (provided by a number of administrative sources) to obtain the fish waste associated with freshwater fish farms in the UK. Scotland is the only country in the UK with marine caged fish farms. The data on waste arisings associated with routine and catastrophic fish mortalities in these farms in 2018 has been provided by SEPA as this data is collected on an annual basis. Calculation of other wastes from commercial sea fishing and fish farming operations Data on non-fish waste from sea fishing vessels, for example, oils, nets, packaging etc. collected at ports is held by the British Ports Association and the Northern Ireland Fishery Harbour Authority (NIFHA). The data on non-fish waste collected from sea fishing vessels at the three major fishing ports in Northern Ireland in 2010-11 was provided by the NIFHA. This data was used to calculate the waste collected at all of the ports in the UK based on waste produced per tonne of fish landed from UK fleet in 2010-11 and this ratio was used to estimate 2018 waste tonnage based on 2018 landings . There was no data available for non-fish waste from fish farms. [1] http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/03/20716/52858
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Commercial and Industrial (C&I) waste in England. Covers all types of waste in NACE C, D, E36_E37_E39, G-U_X_G4677 except for Common Sludges in E36_E37_E39. |
Mandatory returns from all sites with a waste permit providing tonnages and EWC code of all waste consignments received and removed during 2018. These are collected and collated by The Environment Agency. Mandatory returns from all incinerators, providing tonnages and EWC code of all waste consignments received and removed during 2018. Mandatory returns from reprocessors that handle packaging, under Producer Responsibility, from the National Packaging Waste Database. Additional data on dry recyclates from UK trade associations RDF export data from Environment Agency data on International Waste Shipments |
Following the discontinuation of historical Defra C&I sector surveys after 2009, Defra commissioned a project to provide a new methodology to calculate waste generated by C&I in England, in order to continue to meet reporting requirements. This produced the ‘Reconcile’ methodology, along with estimates for 2010 and 2012 specifically formatted to contribute-to the Waste Statistics Regulation return and to provide a repeatable methodology. The project report was published in August 2014. In the original process of repeating the ‘Reconcile’ methodology using Defra systems, several areas of double-counting were identified, and so the methodology was reworked to correct for these, resulting in a substantial reduction to the C&I arisings figures for England in the December 2016 publication of UK Statistics on Waste. Concerns raised by industry following these data revisions identified outstanding issues with the methodology. Defra took this opportunity to develop a further modified version alongside industry experts, which was felt to improve the transparency of the methodology and better reflect current waste management processes. While the original ‘Reconcile’ methodology had reliable estimates for landfilled and incinerated waste and organic recycling, the estimates for dry recycling relied on multiple assumptions regarding intermediate treatment sites (such as MRFs) and tonnages processed under exemption, which result in considerable uncertainty. To improve the transparency of this aspect of the methodology, we have sourced alternative “end-point” data sources for key dry recyclates and removed the previous exemptions-based methodology. The review also called into question one of the fundamental assumptions to the ‘Reconcile’ methodology to exclude waste input to transfer stations, in addition to secondary waste (essentially waste generated from the treatment of waste), on the basis that it would be captured at other points in the waste treatment chain. Upon detailed investigation, it was discovered that large tonnages (e.g. around 7 million tonnes in 2012) of waste enter transfer stations as ‘mixed municipal waste’ (EWC code 20 03 01; i.e. black bag waste) but are re-categorised as secondary waste (largely 19 12 12) before being sent on for treatment or disposal. This is due to increased sorting and early-stage treatment at transfer stations, coinciding with an increase in separation of refuse derived fuel (RDF) for export. We have therefore made additional improvements to capture these missed tonnages, which were not accounted for in the original methodology. The new methodology makes no attempt to estimate waste processed under exemption that is not captured within the recycling data at end-point. Therefore, figures may underestimate the “true” tonnages of C&I waste arisings, but are the best estimate we can produce from the available data. Full details of the revised methodology can be found here Essentially, it uses “end-point” estimates for landfill, incineration, recovery and recycling to make an estimate for total C&I and household waste. The local authority reported figures on Waste from Households figures from Waste Data Flow are then subtracted as far as is possible on a material-type basis, to leave an estimate for C&I waste. The remaining tonnage is then apportioned between NACE industries, based on EWC code. The EWC code tonnages can then be consolidated up to EWC-STAT as used on the WStatR generation template. |
A lookup table which apportions each EWC code between the NACE industries used on the WStatR generation template was devised by the original contractors. The majority of waste (~83% of non-hazardous waste) is apportioned 100% to a particular NACE industry based upon the chapter of the EWC code. Where the mapping is considered to span more than one NACE industry, EWC codes with more than 100Kt in 2012 were apportioned between multiple industries by the contractors using industry knowledge. These apportionment factors are still used and have not been updated since the Reconcile methodology was first developed. For the remaining EWC codes (with smaller tonnages), which contribute only 1% of the total tonnage, allocation is done using EWC-STAT level mappings informed by Defra’s 2009 C&I survey. This process apportions some tonnages to NACE industries not considered to be C&I, e.g. agriculture, mining, construction. |
C&I is considered to be NACE C, D, E36_E37_E39 and G-U_X_G4677. Apportionment of EWC codes between NACE industries are assumed not to change over time. We use factors provided by contractors in 2013. Full details of the revised methodology can be found here |
The latest methodology has been developed with considerable input from industry experts and sense-checked against alternative data sources. Defra believe the latest estimates to be the most reliable figures that can be reasonably produced with the currently available data. Defra will continue to work with industry to ensure that C&I estimates remain relevant to the constantly evolving industry. |
Construction, Demolition and Excavation waste in England. Covers all types of waste in NACE F, except for marine dredging spoils. |
Mandatory returns from all sites with a waste permit providing tonnages and EWC code of all waste consignments received and removed during 2018. These are collected and collated by The Environment Agency. |
The modelling process to estimate all wastes attributed to the construction industry (NACE F) except for dredging spoils is based on estimating the final treatment of waste and then assuming that this is equal to the generation. The possible final treatments for construction waste are identified as: Reprocessed into non waste at permitted treatment sites; Non-minerals reprocessed into non waste at non-permitted treatment site (reprocessor or exempt site); Mineral waste reprocessed into aggregate at non-permitted treatment site; backfilled; landfilled. Waste reprocessed at permitted sites is taken to be the difference between construction waste received by treatment sites and construction waste removed. The construction waste element of the permitted site returns (which provide EWC code) are all Ch17 waste plus a proportion of Ch19 waste. Backfilling and landfill are considered separately. The individual estimates for different final treament/disposal options are added up to provide the total CD&E estimate. |
The figure with by far the biggest influence on the tonnage of construction waste generated is the figure for aggregate produced from CD&E waste, accounting for approximately half of the overall tonnage. This is taken from a report produced annually by the Mineral Products Association (MPA). It is based on a 2008 estimate published in a WRAP report 'CDEW arisings use and disposal for England 2008' which is adjusted by the MPA each year in line with construction industry output. The data is still based on a 2008 estimate published in a WRAP report 'CDEW arisings use and disposal for England 2008' which is adjusted by the MPA each year in line with the index of construction industry output, which is published by the Office for National Statistics. The WRAP figure was the result of a survey of aggregate producers conducted in 2009. A similar figure for soils is taken from the same WRAP report and adjusted on an annual basis by Defra. This is still significant at ~11Mt in 2018, but smaller and of less user interest than the aggregates figure. |
Throughout the model a large number of assumptions are required regarding how the data represents real life waste flows and how the different estimates fit together. They are too numerous to list every one, but the most influential are below. Incineration of construction waste is assumed to be zero. An investigation suggested that ~70Kt Ch17 waste was incinerated in 2012 which is negligible compared to overall tonnages. There may be a construction waste element in the Ch19 waste that reaches incineration, but this is impossible to identify. A proportion Chapter 19 waste is also assumed to be from NACE F. This proportion is set as the Chapter 17 proportion of total waste received by permitted sites (transfer, treatment or MRS). It is assumed that this proportion is the same for Ch19 waste at all stages of the treatment process, including waste received by landfill. CD&E waste is assumed to be solid waste only. This has most relevant to the calculation of Ch17 waste as a proportion of all waste received. Defra assume that all backfilling is covered by the permits ' Deposit for recovery' and 'Use of Waste'. It is assumed that all of tonnages reported under these permits were generated by the construction industry. Defra allocate all tonnages of the EWC-STAT 'Mineral waste from construction and demolition' to NACE F. This model is assumed to include construction type waste collected from households (not included in the 'Waste from Households' measure used for the EP_HH column of the generation template). It is assumed that all non-hazardous metal, glass, plastic and wood from construction (Ch17) that is not landfilled or backfilled is successfully reprocessed. Reprocessors do not make returns under a waste permit, therefore we do not capture their operations directly and instead have to estimate. |
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Table 8: Data set 1 (Waste generation) Determination methods for waste generated by households |
Indirect determination via waste collection |
Indirect determination via waste treatment |
Description of reporting unit applied (waste collectors, municipalities) |
Description of the reporting system (regular survey on waste collectors, utilisation of administrative sources) |
Waste types covered |
Survey characteristics |
Method applied for the differentiation between the sources household and commercial activities |
Percentages of waste from commercial activities by waste types |
Population served by a collection scheme for mixed household and similar waste, in % |
Specification of waste treatment facilities selected |
Waste types covered |
Method applied for the differentiation between the sources household and commercial activities |
Percentages of waste from commercial activities by |
Total no. of collectors /municipalities (population size) |
No. of collectors/municipalities selected for survey |
No. of responses used for the calculation of the totals |
Factor for weighting |
Local Authorities (municipalities) in the UK (410 total) are required to collect waste from all domestic premises and from commercial and industrial premises if requested. |
Information has been collected in each country through a web based quarterly reporting system (WasteDataFlow – https://www.wastedataflow.org/). The system has been used across all parts of the UK since 2006. |
Information collected includes arisings and management on regular household collection rounds (mixed waste), bulky waste collections, wastes separately collected for recycling or composting from households or from drop off schemes, wastes taken to civic amenity sites for disposal or recycling, street sweeping, litter, and commercial waste collections. |
In England there are 345 local authorities (municipalities) of which:
- 222 are collection authorities, responsible for collecting waste
- 31 waste disposal authorities, responsible for managing and disposing of wastes collected by waste collection authorities and for provision of civic amenity sites to which households may take their waste for disposal or recycling
- 92 unitary authorities which combine waste collection and disposal roles in one body
Wales has 22 unitary authorities, Scotland 32, and NI 11. |
All the municipalities are surveyed |
All responses, as survey is mandatory |
N/A |
Waste reported as generated by households (EP_HH column) is synchronised to the figure submitted to WFD. England: Each Local Authority data provider reports data as household or commercial at collection. Waste going to treatment is not split between household and commerical by the data provider, therefore factors are applied to estimate the split. For ELVs, a total ELV generation figure is estimated for all sources. This is based on tonnages of ELVs received at metal recycling sites, with deductions made for tonnages that are also removed from sites, to remove assumed double-counting. It is not possible to accurately differentiate between household and non-household ELVs and so all are reported as NACE G-U_X_G4677 (Services), apart from small tonnages of bicycles that are captured in the household column. |
No waste known to be generated by commercial activities is reported as waste generated by households |
100% |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
Data sets 2 and 3: Waste treatment
Table 9: Data sets 2 and 3 (Waste treatment): General description of methodology |
Identification of relevant treatment facilities: All waste treatment, recovery and disposal facilities in the UK are required to operate under an environmental permit or exemption issued by the relevant environment agency or local authority. Legislation requires relevant agencies to hold public registers of permitted and exempt facilities. This data is held by each relevant environment agency and is believed to be complete. From these registers, the number and type of all permitted waste treatment, recovery and disposal facilities has been extracted. Exemptions are issued for processes where the expectation of pollution is seen to be of a lower risk or is dealt with by other legislative controls. They do not include incineration or landfilling activities, both of which would be strictly covered by full permits. The number of sites operating under exemption have not been included in the infrastructure template. From the register of exemptions it is difficult to determine individual and non-duplicated sites and in particular it is thought that a significant but unknown proportion of sites are registered but not used. The number of registered exemptions is huge (~500,000 on ~100,000 sites) so to include potentially exaggerated numbers of genuine active sites would undermine the accurate reporting of the much lower numbers of permitted facilities. In addition to EA permitted incinerators, there are approximately 100 small scale Local Authority PPC permitted incinerators. The data on these was not sufficient to report their location, capacity or detail the waste treated by them, so they have been excluded entirely from the report. A previous investigation suggested that the PPC incinerators treat approximately 1% of the tonnage incinerated in fully permitted facilities in England. How are the data on treated quantities collected? UK data on treated quantities for recovery, incineration and disposal are primarily taken from returns based on waste management permit systems described above. The table 11 below provides more details of the methods used In England and Wales, returns from waste treatment facilities, accredited packaging re-processors and modelled estimates for construction waste were used to provide data for recovery processes. In Scotland, the treated quantities came primarily from permit based returns, primarily licenced site returns and waste exemptions. Data on all waste materials (packaging and non-packaging) recycled by accredited re-processors have also been reported. In Northern Ireland the treated quantities came primarily from permit and licence based site returns and some from waste exemptions. No estimates were made for exemptions in which a data return was not received in 2018. How are the data on number and capacity of treatment facilities collected? Data on the annual capacity for waste management facilities operating under a waste management permit was collected from the site permits. Capacity information for recovery operations other than energy recovery was not required for 2018. (i) England & Wales The level of remaining landfill voidspace in England & Wales at the end of 2018 was provided by operators to the Environment Agency and Natural Resources Wales in 2019. For explanatory purposes ‘landfill capacity’ is defined as: site capacity with both a planning consent and an environmental permit (including void that was still to be created under a mineral extraction permission if the area was permitted), and included engineering surcharge (doming), daily cover and restoration materials. In Wales, some ‘non-hazardous’ landfills may have permitted ‘hazardous’ cells and thus some additional ‘hazardous’ waste capacity than reported Annual incineration capacity was obtained from permits and checked to ensure it was up to date. Data on local authority registered incinerators (LAPPC) permitted under Part B of the PPC Regulations was produced for England from the Local Air Pollution Control (LAPC) Defra survey. Capacity was estimated to be the midpoint of the assumed minimum and maximum throughput for each facility type. In England, permit types have been assessed and classified to allow those used for final rather than intermediate treatment to be isolated. (ii) Scotland Data on the annual capacity for waste management treatment facilities operating under a PPC permit and WML was collected from the site’s permit or licence. The data on remaining void space for landfills is collected annually from landfill operators via the licensed/permitted site return form. Sites that did not submit the returns were contacted directly in order to obtain the information. (iii) Northern Ireland The data on remaining void space for landfills was collected annually from landfill operators via annual reports due under their permits. The data on capacities of Energy Recovery and Incineration (R1 / D10) were calculated from the maximum annual throughput allowed under the permits |
Table 10: Data sets 2 and 3 (Waste treatment): Registers used for identification of waste treatment operations |
Identification of register(s) used (name; responsible institution) |
Description of register(s) (coverage; frequency and procedure of updating, ..) |
Scotland - SEPA’s National Public Register |
The public register holds information on all environmental permits regulated by SEPA in accordance with legislative and procedural requirements. The information on the public register is maintained and updated on a daily basis. |
England & Wales – Environment Agency’s & Natural Resources Wales register of permitted facilities |
The register holds information on all waste management permits regulated by the EA/NRW in accordance with legislative and procedural requirements. The information is maintained and updated on a daily basis. |
England – Environment Agency’s IPPC register |
Used for data on the number and capacity of incinerators and landfills. |
Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) – registers on waste management licences, exemptions and permits. |
All waste facilities have a waste management licence, an integrated pollution prevention and control permit, an integrated pollution control permit, or have registered a waste management exemption at a particular location for a specified time period. This data is held by NIEA and is maintained and updated on a regular basis. |
Table 11: Data sets 2 and 3 (Waste treatment): Determination of treated waste quantities |
Description of data sources and methods by treatment categories |
Item 1 Incineration (R1) |
item 2 Incineration (D10) |
Item 3a Recycling (R2 – R11) |
Item 3b Backfilling |
Item 4 Landfilling (D1, D5, D12) |
Item 5 Other disposal (D2,D3,D4, D6,D7) |
Public registers – Operator’s monitoring data sent in accordance with the permit |
Public register – Operator’s monitoring data sent in accordance with the permit |
Public register – Operator’s statutory returns |
Public register – Operator’s statutory returns |
Public register – Operator’s statutory returns |
Ad-hoc data provided by operators |
Ad-hoc data provided by operators |
Ad-hoc data provided by operators |
UK Packaging Waste Database – Accredited re-processors annual application data |
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Ad-hoc data provided by operators |
Admin information on disposal of dredging spoils |
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Modelled estimates for construction waste treatment |
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Modelled estimates of disposal of mining waste |
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UWWT for sewage sludge spread on agricultural land |
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Modelled estimates of simple registrations used to treat household and commercial waste considered not to have been captured elsewhere (England) |
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Voluntary returns to the Environment Agency from reprocessors regarding non-packaging waste (England) |
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Voluntary returns to SEPA from aggregate producing sites on the amount of waste processed to produce aggregates in Scotland |
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Table 12: Data sets 2 and 3 (Waste treatment): How are the data on number and capacity of treatment facilities collected? |
Number of waste treatment facilities selected by items |
Description of the method |
Item 1 Incineration (R1) |
item 2 Incineration (D10) |
Item 3a Recycling (R2 – R11) |
Item 3b Backfilling |
Item 4 Landfilling (D1, D5, D12) |
Item 5 Other disposal (D2,D3,D4, D6,D7) |
All waste incineration facilities (R1) in the UK are required to operate under an environmental permit issued by the relevant environment agency. The environment agencies supplied the number of incineration facilities based on the permits they had issued. |
All waste incineration facilities (D10) in the UK are required to operate under an environmental permit issued by the relevant environment agency. The environment agencies supplied the number of incineration facilities based on the permits they had issued. For England, Wales and Northern Ireland, smaller incinerators are required to operate under an environmental permit issued by the relevant local authority. Data on these incinerators was not available and no estimate has been made. |
All waste recycling facilities (R2 - R11) in the UK are required to operate under an environmental permit or registration issued by the relevant environment agency. The environment agencies supplied the number of incineration facilities based on the permits and registrations they had issued. |
For England and Wales, backfilling was equated with 'Use of Waste' and 'Deposit for Recovery' operations. All of these types of facilities in England and Wales are required to operate under an environmental permit issued by the relevant environment agency. The environment agencies supplied the number of facilities based on the permits they had issued. In Scotland and Northern Ireland, waste recovered by backfilling was equated to operations licensed under relevant complex exemptions. The number of facilities was taken from the annual returns made in respect of these exemptions. |
All waste landfilling facilities (D1, D5, D12) in the UK are required to operate under an environmental permit issued by the relevant environment agency. The environment agencies supplied the number of facilities based on the permits they had issued. |
Number of facilities was not required |
Table 13: Data sets 1, 2 and 3: Sampling methodology |
This is not applicable to almost all of the data submitted as no sample surveys were conducted for 2014 WStatR. Wales undertook surveys of commercial & industrial waste generated in 2018 and construction & demolition waste generated in 2012. Construction & demolition 2018 estimates were based on the results of the 2012 surveys. Most business sectors were surveyed with the exception of: Businesses involved in agriculture, forestry & fishing mining and quarrying. Businesses involved in waste management and recycling (to avoid potential double counting) The methodology was broadly similar for each survey – for example each uses the National Inter Departmental Business Register (IDBR) and Local Units for sampling, stratified by employment size and industry category. Published survey reports along with detailed sampling strategies are available online: https://naturalresources.wales/our-evidence-and-reports/waste-reports/?lang=en |
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