Waste Generated

Indicator

The amount of controlled waste generated in the County.

Status

The amount of controlled waste generated in Worcestershire is good, and is improving

Overview

This indicator focusses on one of the key areas of waste management, minimising the amount of waste generated. In particular, this indicator shows how much waste is produced in the County and from what sources the waste is coming from.

Performance

According to the West Midlands Strategic Waste Management Assessment, 2000, 1.1 million tonnes of controlled waste was generated in Worcestershire in 2000. Just over half of this is industrial waste, with municipal and commercial waste each accounting for 24 percent of the total.

In terms of household waste, Worcestershire residents produced an average of 492 kg each in 2007/08 a reduction from 527 kg each in 2005-06.

Overall, there has been a reduction in the total amount of waste generated in Worcestershire. According to the latest available data from the Environment Agency, the total waste generated in 2002-03 was 13 percent lower than in 1998. This reduction is due in large part to the significant fall in waste generated by industry in the County during this time, a 42.6 percent reduction. Commercial waste increased by 22 percent during the same period, and municipal waste increased by 15.2 percent.

In terms of the amount of household waste generated per person, there has been no significant change over the last five years in Worcestershire. The 290,944 tonnes of household waste generated in 2005/06 represented a 2.3 percent decrease compared to 2004/05 data.

According to the Environment Agency C&I Survey 2002/03, 924,000 tonnes of waste was produced in Worcestershire in 2002/03. This was spilt by source as follows:

There were 290,944 tonnes of household waste generated in the County in 2005/06, at 527 kg per head of population.

The following graph shows the origins of household waste in Worcestershire in 2007/08. Bromsgrove produced the most waste per person, and Malvern Hills produced the least.

Geographical Context

The West Midlands region produced 10.3 million tonnes of waste in 2002/03, just one percent more than it produced in 1998. As was the case in Worcestershire, a lower proportion of this waste was due to industry and more resulted from commercial activities or from households than in 1998. However, this has as much to do with the ongoing decline of industry in the West Midlands and Worcestershire than anything else. The proportion of waste from industry remains higher in the West Midlands region than in Worcestershire, but the general picture is the same. As the amount of waste generated by industry falls, household and commercial waste levels rise to compensate.

Actions

It is expected that there will be an increase in the amount of legislation to tackle issues such as agricultural waste. In addition, as policy initiatives take effect and awareness of issues increase, there should be a stabilisation of waste generated.

Further Information

For further information visit the County Council Mission Impossible website, or the Environment Agency website.

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