Municipal waste

Just over 2.8 million tonnes of municipal waste was collected in the South West in 2008 / 2009.  This was 3.6% lower than in the previous year, yet still over 5% than in 2000 / 2001.

• Household sources accounted for 90% (2.5 million tonnes) of all municipal waste.
• Residual household waste equated to 626 kg of household waste per household - 43 kg less than the English average.
• The amount of waste sent to landfill continues to decline, from 2.2 million tonnes in 2000 / 2001 to 1.6 million tonnes in 2008 / 2009.
• The amount of municipal waste landfilled in the region is 56%.
• Recycling and composting has increased significantly in the South West, from 14.9% in 2000 / 2001 to 43% in 2008 / 2009.

Every household or business generates waste. Local Authorities are responsible for arranging for your bin to be emptied and for providing sites where you can take waste. Most waste disposal and recycling sites are operated by industry. The Environment Agency is responsible for regulating these sites to ensure they don’t pollute the environment or harm the public.

The Waste Strategy for England 2007 (Defra, 2007) sets out the Government's vision for sustainable waste management. In addition to this, the South West has also published the Regional Waste Strategy From Rubbish to Resource (South West Regional Assembly, 2004). This non-statutory regional strategy aims to ensure that by the year 2020 over 45% of waste is recycled and reused and less than 20% of waste produced in the region will be landfilled.

Low Waste South West brings together the strategies and related actions being taken to help move the South West towards a low waste future.

Total municipal waste

England

 A total of 27 million tonnes of municipal waste was collected in England during 2008 / 2009, a decline of 7.7% from the peak in 2004/05 on the 29.6 million tonnes.

In the regions, total municipal waste was highest in the South East with 4.3 million tonnes in 2008 / 2009 and lowest in the North East with just over 1.5 million tonnes.

Non-household waste collected as part of municipal collections has also fallen to 3 million tonnes.  This is a 18.8% fall from the amount collected during the 2004/05 peak of nearly 4 million tonnes. 

South West

Just over 2.8 million tonnes of municipal waste was collected in the South West in 2008 / 2009, 10% of the English total.  This was nearly 3.6% lower than in the previous year, 5.7% lower than the peak in 2004/05; yet still 5.6% greater than in 2000 / 2001.

Around 90% (2.6 million tonnes) of all municipal waste collected in the South West during 2008 / 2009 was classified as household waste, the largest proportion of which came from regular household collections (41%) and household recycling (38%). The rest came from civic amenity sites and other household sources.

 

Household waste

England

In 2008 / 2009, household sources accounted for 89% of municipal waste (24.3 million tonnes), equating to 1072 kg of household waste per household /per year.  The average residual household waste per household decreased from 1046 kg in 2000 / 2001, compared to 669 kg per household in 2008 / 2009; a fall of 36%.

South West

Household sources accounted for around 90% (2.6 million tonnes) of all municipal waste.

The average household was responsible for 626 kg of residual household waste in 2008 / 2009, a 7.7% reduction on the 678 kg in 2007 / 2008 and a 36% decline on the 980 kg in 2000 / 2001.

The Isle of Scilly (Unitary authority )had the highest amount of residual household waste (1,460 kg/household), the highest in England, followed by Cornwall County Council with 743 kg/household.  Bournemouth came in with the lowest at 537 kg/household.  Of the district councils, South Hams had the lowest residual household waste at just 349 kg/household; and in England.  Whereas Kerrier had the highest at 668 kg/household

 

Municipal waste management

Management type: England

• landfill - 50% (13.8 million tonnes)

• Recycling / composting - 37% (10 million tonnes)

• Incineration with Energy from Waste (EfW) - 12% (3.3 million tonnes)

• Incineration without EfW - 0.01% (6,000 tonnes)

• Other - 1% (198,000 tonnes)  

Management type: South West

• landfill - 56% (1.6 million tonnes)
• Recycling / composting - 43% (1.2 million tonnes)
• Incineration with EfW - 0.26% (7,000 tonnes)
• Incineration without EfW - 0.12% (4,000 tonnes)
• Other - 0.16% (5,000 tonnes)

 

Landfill

England & the regions

50% (13.8 million tonnes) of municipal waste was sent to landfill in England during 2008 / 2009. The proportion of waste sent to landfill is now 29 percentage points lower than in 2000 / 2001 and 4 percentage points lower than in 2007 / 2008.

The North West region sent the highest proportion of waste to landfill, with 59% (2.3 million tonnes) and lowest in the West Midlands with 33% (0.9 million tonnes).  

South West

The South West landfilled the 2^nd highest proportion of waste (joint with Yorkshire /Humberside) out of the regions in 2008 /2009 with 56% (1.6 million tonnes).   However, this proportion has been in decline since 2000 / 2001 when 82% was sent to landfill and is 6 percentage points lower than in 2006 / 2007.

Plymouth City Council landfilled the most waste of the authorities in the South West (65%).  Devon County Council landfilled the least (48%).  Torbay landfilled the most in 2007/08 with 71%, this figure has reduced to 63% equating to nearly 48 thousand tonnes of municipal waste.

 

Recycling & composting

There is a direct correlation between the proportion of waste sent to landfill declining and the proportion recycled or composted increasing.

England

The recycling household rates have increased significantly from 11.2% in 2000 / 2001 to 37.6% in 2008 / 2009. Between 2007 / 2008 and 2008/2009, the total national recycling rate increased by 3 percentage points.

There continues to be variations in household recycling and composting rates between different regions; with regional recycling rates ranging from 29% in London to over 44% in the East and East Midlands.

South West

The South West had the 3rd highest recycling and composting rate in England (42.3%), behind the East Midlands and the East ( both with 44.5%).

Recycling and composting has increased significantly in the South West, from 14.9% in 2000 / 2001 to 42.3% in 2008 / 2009.  

Cotswold, South Hams and Teignbridge had the highest recycling rates of the district and borough councils in the South West.  Cotswold had 61% with South Hams and Teignbridge following closely with 58% and 57% respectively.  North Wiltshire, had the lowest recycling rate.

The Isle of Scilly had the lowest recycling rates at 17.52% of any unitary or county council in the South West.  However neither do they send any waste to landfill.  Residual waste not recylced or composted is incinerated.

 

• Defra have detailed web pages on municipal waste and the annual Municipal Waste Survey.

• The Environment Agency waste pages provide a summary of the types of waste handled by permitted waste management facilities and also provide detailed analysis of waste at permitted waste management facilities the South West