Waste - State and impacts (United Kingdom)

In the UK, in 2008, total waste generation was estimated at 334 million tonnes (mt). This is a decrease from 372mt in 2004 and 346mt in 2006. In 2008, the largest contributing sector was construction, demolition and excavation (101mt), followed by mining and quarrying (86mt), commercial and industrial sectors (67mt), household sources (32mt) and the remaining arisings combined (48mt).

In terms of composition, the bulk of the material was mineral waste (59 per cent), followed by general[1] and mixed waste (21 per cent), metal and scrap (11 per cent), paper and card (4 per cent) and animal & vegetable wastes (4 per cent), followed by chemical and other wastes[2] (2 per cent). 

Of the total waste managed[3] in the UK, in 2008, 48 per cent was deposited onto or into land, 45 per cent was recovered (excluding energy recovery), 5 per cent underwent land treatment or release into water and 2 per cent was incinerated on land (including with energy recovery).

Figure 1 Total UK waste generation by sector, 2004 to 2008

Figure 2 Total UK waste management by method, 2004 to 2008

In England alone, the amount of waste sent to landfill declined by 33 per cent between 2000/01 and 2008, from an estimated 79.9mt in 2000/01 to an estimated 53.8mt in 2008.

Additional UK waste data can be found on the Eurostat website though national data sources also provide useful information. England produces 81 per cent of the total waste generated in the UK, therefore national data for England has been incorporated below, along with accompanying links to national data for the rest of the UK.

Commercial & Industrial waste:

Commercial and industrial (C&I) waste generation in the UK has decreased between 2004 and 2008, from 81mt in 2004, to 76mt in 2006 and 67mt in 2008. In 2004 and 2006, C&I waste generation accounted for 22 per cent of total UK waste generation. This was reduced to 20 per cent in 2008 (see Eurostat).

There is limited UK C&I waste data available, so national sources are used. The last national survey of C&I waste in England was carried out by the Environment Agency in 2002/03 and estimated that commercial waste amounted to 30.3mt and industrial waste to 37.6mt. Note these figures include primary waste generated by commerce and industry only, which accounts principally for differences between survey results and the larger waste totals reported under the Waste Statistics Regulation. Defra is carrying out a survey of C&I waste in England to report by late 2010.

Figure 3 Commercial & industrial survey results analysis, England, 2002/03

Limited inferences from recent smaller scale studies in the North West (2005/06 and 2008/09) and Wales (2007), point to changes in the pattern of waste production, with a possible decrease in industrial waste arisings countered by a rise in commercial arisings. On the management side, there is evidence to suggest the tonnage of C&I waste sent to landfill has decreased, with more waste handled by transfer stations and treatment facilities.

For further national C&I data see below:

England                      Wales                         Scotland                     Northern Ireland

Municipal waste:

The amount of municipal waste generated in the UK, in 2008, was 544kg per person, 4 per cent higher than the EU27 average of 524kg per person. The gap between the UK and the EU27 average has been closing year on year since 2004 when the UK figure was 18 per cent higher than the EU27 average.

Figure 4 Municipal waste generated in the UK, 1997 to 2008, kg per capita

Between 1995 and 2008, the percentage of municipal waste generated that is recycled/composted in the UK has increased from 7 per cent in 1995 to 36 per cent in 2008. The percentage of municipal waste generated that is sent to landfill has decreased overall from 83 per cent in 1995 to 53 per cent in 2008.

Figure 5 Municipal waste management in the UK, 1995 to 2008.

Further data on municipal waste in the UK can be found on the Eurostat website.

In England in 2008/09 a total of 178kg of household waste was recycled per person per year, an increase from 11kg per person per year in 1991/92. Green recycling (composting) has increased from 1.6 per cent in 1997/98 to 14.8 per cent in 2008/09, whilst recycling of other materials (dry recycling) has increased from 6.6 per cent to 22.8 per cent in the same period.

Food waste:

Within the municipal waste sector, total food and drink waste generated by households in the UK is estimated at 8.3mt per year. This is equivalent to 330kg per year for each household in the UK, or just over 6kg per household per week.

Of this total, 5.8mt per year (70 per cent) is collected by Local Authorities, mainly in the residual waste stream (general bin) and food-waste kerbside collections. A further 1.8mt per year is disposed of via the sewer.

For more information on food and drink waste in the UK, see the WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) Household Food and Drink Waste report.

Figure 6 Weight of food & drink waste generated in the UK, split by disposal route

Construction, demolition and excavation waste:

Construction, demolition and excavation (C,D&E) waste also decreased between 2004 and 2008. Total UK generation of C,D&E waste amounted to 113mt in 2004 and then decreased to 110mt in 2006 and 101mt in 2008. C,D&E waste generation accounted for 30 per cent of total UK waste generation in 2008.

Data on C,D&E waste is also limited in availability so national data sources are widely used. In 2009, WRAP undertook an analysis of existing data, supplemented by original survey research, to provide estimates for the levels of arisings, use and disposal of the full range of C,D&E wastes in England in 2008. Prior to that study, the Department of Communities and Local Government (CLG) undertook surveys on C,D&E waste arisings and use in England, reporting on arisings and use of aggregates biennially between 1999 and 2005.

In 2008, total construction and demolition waste for England was estimated at 86.9 million tonnes[4], of which 53.6mt (62%) was recycled or recovered (both on and off site), 11.0mt (13%) was spread on exempt sites, and the remaining 22.4mt (26%) was sent to landfill (including backfilling at quarries, and landfill engineering) as waste.

Figure 7 Construction, Demolition & Excavation Waste management, England, 1999 to 2008

The amount of construction and demolition waste generated in England has remained stable at about 90mt from 2001 to 2008.

For further national C,D&E waste information see the links below:

England (Defra)         England (WRAP)      Wales             Scotland         Northern Ireland

Packaging waste:

Within the UK waste stream, total packaging waste amounted to 10.2mt in 1998 before it decreased to 9.2mt in 1999. The total then increased steadily between 2001 and 2009, from 9.3mt in 2001 to 10.8mt in 2009. Total recovery and recycling of packaging in the UK has also increased from 3.3mt in 1998, 33 per cent of all packaging waste, to 7.2mt in 2009, 67 per cent of all packaging waste. Defra provide more information on the recovery and recycling of packaging in the UK.