Final Treatment Solution of Waste
Indicator
The treatment solution for all waste streams generated within
the county
Status
The final treatment solution of waste in Worcestershire is good,
and is improving.
Overview
Over time, trends in the final destination of waste provide a
measure of the effectiveness of the waste management strategies
employed in the County. Waste management is a growing concern in
Worcestershire, as it is in the rest of the UK. The impact on the
environment and finite landfill resources are just two examples of
particular issues.
Waste should no longer be thought of as something that is simply
disposed of, but a resource from which benefit may be derived.
Performance
During 2007/08, in Worcestershire, 143,000 tonnes of household
waste was sent to landfill, representing just under 53% percent of
all household waste for that year. Of the remainder, 28% was
recycled, over 10% composted and just over 9% was processed at
waste to energy plants.
The most recent Environment Agency data (2002/03) for industrial
waste revealed that 54 percent of the 321,000 tonnes generated that
year was disposed of on land. More than a third was recycled or
re-used and approximately 6 percent was sent to treatment/transfer
sites. A greater proportion of the 307,000 tonnes of commercial
waste was sent to landfill, at 62 percent. Just under a third of
the waste was recycled, whilst a further 6 percent was
treated/transferred.
Between 2003/04 and 2007/08, there has been a 35.3 percent
decrease in the amount of household waste sent to landfill, as
recycling, composting and use of waste for power and heat has
increased. From the table below, it is evident that the amount of
household waste generated has decreased over this period, and that
the amount landfilled has dropped significantly from 221,212 tonnes
to 143,000 tonnes.
In terms of industrial waste, whilst the total amount of waste
generated has dropped significantly in recent years (from 559,000
tonnes in 1998 to 321,000 tonnes in 2002/03), the amount disposed
of on land has increased. Compared with the 28.5 percent in 1998,
53.6 percent of industrial waste was disposed of on land in
2002/03.
The amount of commercial waste disposed of on land has also
increased in recent years, although this is due in part to the
increase in commercial waste generated. In 2003, 62.2 percent of
the 307,000 tonnes of commercial waste was disposed of on land,
compared with 44.6 percent of the 251,000 tonnes in 1998.
The following represents the most recent available data relating
to recycling in Worcestershire.
Household Waste
Worcestershire produced 272,356 tonnes of household waste in
2007/08 of which 52.53 percent was put into landfill sites.
Industrial Waste
Worcestershire produced 321,000 tonnes of industrial waste in
2002/03, of which 53.6 percent was disposed of on land.
Commercial Waste
Worcestershire produced 307,000 tonnes of commercial waste in
2002/03, of which 62.2 percent was disposed of on land.
Household landfill rates are not available at District Council
level. However, given the relatively small proportion of waste that
is incinerated for energy from waste, an approximation to landfill
rates is the amount of waste that is not recycled or composted.
The graph shows that in all six of the local authorities there
is a significant downward trend in the amount of waste that is not
recycled/composted.
Geographical Context
In 2004/05, 69 percent of household waste was landfilled in
Worcestershire, compared with 49 percent of waste in the West
Midlands. This is despite the fact that Worcestershire performs
better than the West Midlands region when it comes to
recycling/composting. Regionally, energy from waste is far more
significant than in Worcestershire. In 2004/05, 7 percent of the
County's household waste was incinerated to provide energy from
waste, compared with the regional percentage of 30 percent.
Regional figures for more recent years are not yet available.
The West Midlands Strategic Waste Management Assessment 2000
shows that the 159,000 tonnes (28.4 percent) of industrial waste
disposed of on land in Worcestershire was well below the
corresponding percentage in the West Midlands region of 41.2
percent. The amount of waste that was re-used was much higher in
Worcestershire (29.9 percent compared to only 6.7 percent
regionally). The 111,000 tonnes (44.4 percent) of commercial waste
disposed of on land in Worcestershire was of a similar proportion
to that for the West Midlands region.
According to the most recent Environment Agency data, the 53.6
percent (172,200 tonnes) of industrial waste disposed of on land in
Worcestershire was higher than the corresponding percentage in the
West Midlands region of 34.3 percent. In addition, since 1998, the
proportion of industrial waste disposed of on land has reduced
regionally but increased significantly in the County.
Unsurprisingly, the proportion of Worcestershire's industrial waste
that is recycled or re-used (37.7 percent) is below the regional
figure (50.2 percent). In addition, Worcestershire used just 0.4
percent of its industrial waste for fuel, compared with the
regional figure of 3.2 percent.
The situation for commercial waste is similar. Worcestershire
disposed of 62.2 percent of its commercial waste on land in
2002/03, compared with the regional figure of 48.3 percent. The
county recycled/re-used 31.3 percent of its commercial waste,
whilst the regional figure was 40.4 percent. Finally, just 0.3
percent of Worcestershire's commercial waste was used for fuel,
compared with 3.3 percent regionally.
Actions
In recent years, less and less household waste has ended up in
landfill sites, largely due to the increase in recycling and
composting. With the continuing promotional activities of the
County Council, on recycling, composting, and minimisation, along
with the contribution of new waste and recycling facilities, the
management of household waste in Worcestershire is under
control.
The proportion of industrial and commercial waste being disposed
of on land has increased in recent years, although the amount of
industrial waste generated has dropped significantly. The most
recent data indicates that commercial waste may now be the most
significant contributor to landfill (more commercial waste was sent
to landfill in 2002/03 than household waste in 2005/06). This may
have resulted in part from successful campaigns to improve
household recycling. However, it suggests that in order to maximise
the impact on landfill waste in the future, more emphasis could be
placed on commercial waste.
Further Information
For further general information see DEFRA's Recycling and
Waste pages.
For more information on local authority waste performance visit
the Local Government Performance pages on the Department for
Communities and Local Government website.
For more information on Commercial and Industrial Waste see the
Environment Agency's
Waste in the West Midlands pages.
For more information on Worcestershire's Waste Management
programme, including ways to reduce waste and increase recycling,
see the Waste
Management pages.
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