UK municipal waste management statistics 2007/08
Defra has published estimates from the Department's 2007/08 survey of municipal waste. These estimates are based on data submitted by all local authorities to WasteDataFlow. The figures for financial year 2007/08 show a further increase in recycling, a decrease in total municipal waste and a decrease in the amount sent to landfill.
These data replace the provisional estimates published for the first three quarters of 2007/08 in February, May and August.
Municipal waste arisings and management
- The total amount of collected municipal waste has decreased by 0.6 million tones to an estimated 28.5 million tonnes in England in 2007/08 compared to 29.1 million tonnes in 2006/07, a decrease of 2.2 per cent. The average annual change in municipal waste over the five years to 2007/08 was a decrease of 0.6 per cent.
- In total, 45.1 per cent (12.9 million tonnes) of municipal waste had some sort of value (recycling, composting, energy from waste and fuel manufacture) recovered from it in 2007/08, a rise from 41.8 per cent (12.2 million tonnes) in 2006/07.
- The proportion of municipal waste being recycled or composted increased from 30.6 per cent in 2006/07 to 34.0 per cent in 2007/08. The proportion of waste incinerated with energy recovery remained the same between 2006/07 and 2007/08 at 11 per cent.
- The proportion of municipal waste being disposed of in landfill has continued to decrease from 57.9 per cent in 2006/07 to 54.4 per cent in 2007/08.
- The tonnage of municipal waste disposed of into landfill has also decreased again from 16.9 million tonnes in 2006/07 to 15.5 million tonnes in 2007/08.
Household waste and recycling
- In 2007/08, household sources accounted for 88.7 per cent of municipal waste, 25.3 million tonnes, which equates to 495 kg of household waste per person, of which 171 kg was recycled.
- The amount of waste collected from household sources decreased by 1.9 per cent in 2007/08, from 25.8 million tonnes in 2006/07 to 25.3 million tonnes in 2007/08. The average annual change in total household waste over the last five years is a decrease of 0.4 per cent.
- The proportion of household waste recycled (including composting and reuse) has continued to increase, rising from 30.9 per cent in 2006/07 to 34.5 per cent in 2007/08. This increase in the national recycling rate of 3.6 percentage points is slightly lower than the increase of 4.2 percentage points observed for the last two years.
- In absolute terms the amount of household waste sent for recycling or composting has increased by 10 per cent, from 8.0 million tonnes in 2006/07 to 8.7 million tonnes in 2007/08.
- The amount of household waste not re-used, recycled or composted was 16.6 million tonnes, a decrease of 7.0 per cent from 2006/07. This equates to 324kg per person, or 735kg per household, of collected residual household waste.
The chart below shows the changes in household waste and recycling per capita.
Regional variations
- There continues to be variations in household recycling and composting rates between different regions with regional recycling rates ranging from less than 30 per cent in London and the North East to over 40 per cent in the East, East Midlands and South West.
- The proportion of municipal waste sent to landfill also varies by region from the West Midlands with 37 per cent of their municipal waste going to landfill, to the North West with at 62 per cent.
The tables showing summary estimates, by region, from the 2007/08 WasteDataFlow survey, together with results from earlier years may be found on the Defra web site at:
http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/statistics/wastats/index.htm
Table 1 shows a breakdown of municipal waste, by region 2000/01 - 2007/08.
Table 2 shows the management of municipal waste, by region 2000/01 - 2007/08.
Table 3 shows the recycling and recovery rates for household and municipal waste, 2000/01 - 2007/08.
Table 4 shows household waste and recycling per capita and per household, 1983/84 - 2007/08.
Table 5 shows the regional household recycling rates, rates of municipal waste to landfill and residual household waste per household - 2000/01 - 2007/08.
Tables 6-10 shows Tables 1 to 5 broken down into quarters for 2007/08.
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