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[[Category:Tonnage & Waste Types]]
[[Category:Tonnage & Waste Types]][[Category:Targets & Metrics]]
The total waste arisings per year for the UK reported by [[DEFRA]] in 2020 was for data reported for 2016 <ref>[https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/uk-waste-data UK Statistics on Waste 2020 UK Statistics on Waste 2020]</ref> and was '''221 million tonnes''', with 85% of that tonnage arising from England. This represents a reduction on the previously published information by [[DEFRA]] in 2019 on the same 2016 data, which has been adjusted retrospectively for the arisings of Common Sludges (1.4 million tonnes) and Industrial Effluent Sludges (0.5 million tonnes).
The total waste arisings per year for the UK reported by [[DEFRA]] in September 2024 was for core data reported for 2020 <ref>[https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/uk-waste-data/uk-statistics-on-waste UK Statistics on Waste September 2024 update]</ref> and was '''191.2 million tonnes''', with 85% of that tonnage arising from England. This is a decrease of 14% on the figures reported for 2018 (data for England is available for 2022 and this indicates an increase of tonnage from 2020 to 2022 of c.17%) .  


== Headline Figures ==
== Headline Figures ==


The macro-level data reported in 2020 by [[DEFRA]] for tonnage arisings is summarised in the figure below, with a total of 221 million tonnes of waste arising in the UK (with England responsible for 85% of the total):
The macro-level data reported in 2024 by [[DEFRA]] for tonnage arisings is summarised in the figure below (produced by [[Monksleigh]] from the raw [[DEFRA]] data), with a total of 191.2 million tonnes of waste arising in the UK (with England responsible for 85% of the total):


[[File:UK Macro Tonnage Graphic.png|frame|centre|UK Waste Tonnage Summary]]
[[File:UK Macro Tonnage Graphic.png|1000px|center|UK Waste Tonnage Summary]]


The reduction in total arisings from the 2019 figure to those reported in 2020 by [[DEFRA]] of 221 million tonnes has no effect on Household, Construction, Agriculture or Mining and Quarrying. The reductions were associated with adjusting tonnage arisings of Sludges. With regard to Common Sludges, the reduction was primarily in the Manufacturing of food products (0.2 million tonnes), and from Services (1.2 million tonnes). With regard to Industrial Effluent Sludges, the reduction was 0.5 million tonnes which was primarily across a range of Manufacturing activities (with 60% being associated with food products and paper products alone).
The waste mix in 2020 is summarised in the extract from [[DEFRA]] below:
 
[[File:Waste Mix 2018.png|500px|center|Waste generation by material - UK 2020]]
The reductions have a small impact on the percentages in the following text that was based on the 2019 statistical release (although the 2019 and 2020 statistical releases are based upon 2016 data that has not generally been updated other than for the items listed in this page):
 
* around 81 million tonnes was mineral Waste (17m from mining and quarrying and 63 million from construction) and 58.7 million tonnes was soils (primarily from construction), the two largest waste categories in the UK (63% of the total)
* around 69 million tonnes was controlled wastes and 67.8 million HIC (Household, Industrial and Commercial wastes 31% of the total)
* around 27.3 million tonnes was waste arisings from households (22.8 million tonnes was from England equivalent to 412kg per person)
* around 41 million tonnes <ref >with [[DEFRA]] estimates in 2019 statistics release of 37.9 million tonnes in 2017 </ref> was Commercial and Industrial Waste or C&I in 2016 (of which around 33 million tonnes or 80% was generated in England). The latest estimates for England only are 36.1 million tonnes in 2017 and 37.2 million tonnes in 2018.
* around 10 million tonnes <ref>with around 60% thought to be avoidable </ref>  of food and drink was waste in the food chain in 2015 (equivalent to around 25% of the 41 million tonnes of food bought)


== Key Destination Information ==
== Key Destination Information ==


* [[Recycling]] and [[Recovery]] : around 104 million tonnes (48.5%) was recycled or recovered in 2016 (55% of which was mineral wastes and 12% soils)
* [[Recycling]] and [[Recovery]] : around 97.3 million tonnes was recycled or recovered (52.3%) in 2020 of which around two thirds are mineral and soil wastes (down 10.3% on 2018)
* [[Energy Recovery Facility|Energy Recovery]] : around 9.8 million tonnes was used for energy recovery based on 2016 data (classified by [[DEFRA]] as those sites which have [[R1]] status, those without are reported as [[Incineration]])
* [[Energy Recovery Facility|Energy Recovery]] : around 9.7 million tonnes was used for energy recovery based on 2020 data (classified by [[DEFRA]] as those sites which have [[R1]] status, those without are reported as [[Incineration]])
* [[Landfill]] : around 52 million tonnes (24.4%) of waste went to landfill in 2016
* [[Landfill]] : around 45 million tonnes (23.6%) of waste went to landfill in 2020 (down 11% on 2018)
* [[Waste Derived Fuel]] Export : around 3.2 million tonnes of [[RDF]] or [[SRF]] was sent outside of the UK for energy recovery (the majority to the Netherlands, Germany and Sweden)
* [[Waste Derived Fuel]] Export : not reported, but previously reported at around 3.2 million tonnes of [[RDF]] or [[SRF]] was sent outside of the UK for energy recovery (the majority to the Netherlands, Germany and Sweden) this tonnage has more than halved since 2018 (see [[Waste Derived Fuel]])


== Performance against Key Targets ==
== Performance against Key Targets ==


* The UK recycling rate for households was 45.0% <ref>with reductions in England performance primarily linked to a variation in green waste with changes in plant growth in the year, Northern Ireland improvement due to the introduction of food waste collections, and Wales the improvement in reporting of wood waste destinations has led to a reduction in performance reported.</ref> in 2018 against an EU target of 50% by 2020:
* The UK recycling rate for waste from households was 44.1% in 2022 vs 44.6% in 2021<ref>Figures include the metal from [[IBA]]</ref> against an historic EU target of 50% by 2020. Data for 2023 is included in the table below for England and Scotland, but excluded for Wales and Northern Ireland as they have reported [[Municpal Waste]] recycling rates and not [[Waste from Households]].


{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
|-
|-
! Country !! 2018 !! 2017
! Country !! 2017 !! 2018 !!2019 !!2020 !!2021 !!2022 !!2023
|-
|-
| England || 44.7% || 46.3%
| England || 45.2% || 44.7% ||45.5%||44.0%||44.1%||43.4%||44.0%<ref>[https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/local-authority-collected-waste-management-annual-results/local-authority-collected-waste-management-provisional-annual-results-202324 Provisionl LACW Results for England 2023/24]</ref>
|-
|-
| Northern Ireland || 47.7% || 46.3%
| Northern Ireland || 46.3%||47.7% ||50.6%||49.1%||48.4%||49.2%
|-
|-
| Scotland || 42.8% || 43.5%
| Scotland || 43.5%||42.8%||43.5%||41.0%||41.7%||42.1%||43.5%<ref>[https://data.gov.scot/sepa/waste/household.html#summary-table Household Waste Recycling, Calendar Year 2023]</ref>
|-
|-
| Wales || 54.1% || 55.2%
| Wales || 55.2%||54.1%||56.4%||56.5%||56.7%||56.9%
|-
|-
| UK Total || 45.0% || 45.5%
| UK Total || 45.5%||45.0%||46.0%||44.4%||44.6%||44.1%
|}
|}


* The UK C&D recycling rate was 91% (against an EU target of 70% by 2020) equivalent to recycling around around 60 million of the 66 million tonnes classified as non-hazardous C&D wastes
* The UK C&D recovery rate was 92.6% in 2020 (against an historic EU target of 70% by 2020) equivalent to recovering around around 55 million tonnes of the 59.4 million tonnes classified as non-hazardous C&D wastes. The recovery rates for 2018 and 2019 were 93.1% and 93.3% respectively.
* The UK [[BMW]] to [[Landfill]] was 20% of the baseline 1995 value in 2017 (the EU target is 35% of the 1995 baseline by 2020) equivalent to 7.2 million tonnes (against the target of 11.8 million tonnes, 4.4 million tonnes improvement on the target)
* The UK [[BMW]] to [[Landfill]] has fallen from around 6.6 million tonnes in 2019 to 6.3 million tonnes in 2022.  
* The UK packaging waste either recycled or recovered was 70.0% in 2017 compared to 71.4% in 2016 (the EU target is to exceed 60%) equivalent to 8 million tonnes
* The UK packaging waste either recycled or recovered was confirmed at 62.4% in 2022, marginally lower than 2021.


==References==
==References==
<references />
<references />

Latest revision as of 10:55, 23 April 2025

The total waste arisings per year for the UK reported by DEFRA in September 2024 was for core data reported for 2020 [1] and was 191.2 million tonnes, with 85% of that tonnage arising from England. This is a decrease of 14% on the figures reported for 2018 (data for England is available for 2022 and this indicates an increase of tonnage from 2020 to 2022 of c.17%) .

Headline Figures

The macro-level data reported in 2024 by DEFRA for tonnage arisings is summarised in the figure below (produced by Monksleigh from the raw DEFRA data), with a total of 191.2 million tonnes of waste arising in the UK (with England responsible for 85% of the total):

UK Waste Tonnage Summary
UK Waste Tonnage Summary

The waste mix in 2020 is summarised in the extract from DEFRA below:

Waste generation by material - UK 2020
Waste generation by material - UK 2020

Key Destination Information

  • Recycling and Recovery : around 97.3 million tonnes was recycled or recovered (52.3%) in 2020 of which around two thirds are mineral and soil wastes (down 10.3% on 2018)
  • Energy Recovery : around 9.7 million tonnes was used for energy recovery based on 2020 data (classified by DEFRA as those sites which have R1 status, those without are reported as Incineration)
  • Landfill : around 45 million tonnes (23.6%) of waste went to landfill in 2020 (down 11% on 2018)
  • Waste Derived Fuel Export : not reported, but previously reported at around 3.2 million tonnes of RDF or SRF was sent outside of the UK for energy recovery (the majority to the Netherlands, Germany and Sweden) this tonnage has more than halved since 2018 (see Waste Derived Fuel)

Performance against Key Targets

  • The UK recycling rate for waste from households was 44.1% in 2022 vs 44.6% in 2021[2] against an historic EU target of 50% by 2020. Data for 2023 is included in the table below for England and Scotland, but excluded for Wales and Northern Ireland as they have reported Municpal Waste recycling rates and not Waste from Households.
Country 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
England 45.2% 44.7% 45.5% 44.0% 44.1% 43.4% 44.0%[3]
Northern Ireland 46.3% 47.7% 50.6% 49.1% 48.4% 49.2%
Scotland 43.5% 42.8% 43.5% 41.0% 41.7% 42.1% 43.5%[4]
Wales 55.2% 54.1% 56.4% 56.5% 56.7% 56.9%
UK Total 45.5% 45.0% 46.0% 44.4% 44.6% 44.1%
  • The UK C&D recovery rate was 92.6% in 2020 (against an historic EU target of 70% by 2020) equivalent to recovering around around 55 million tonnes of the 59.4 million tonnes classified as non-hazardous C&D wastes. The recovery rates for 2018 and 2019 were 93.1% and 93.3% respectively.
  • The UK BMW to Landfill has fallen from around 6.6 million tonnes in 2019 to 6.3 million tonnes in 2022.
  • The UK packaging waste either recycled or recovered was confirmed at 62.4% in 2022, marginally lower than 2021.

References

  1. ↑ UK Statistics on Waste September 2024 update
  2. ↑ Figures include the metal from IBA
  3. ↑ Provisionl LACW Results for England 2023/24
  4. ↑ Household Waste Recycling, Calendar Year 2023
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