Key Facts about: Waste and Recycling
Composition of Household Waste
England
Household waste collected is composed of a wide variety of materials. There is limited compositional data available, but the best overall estimates currently available show that, on average, household waste typically consists of garden waste (20 per cent of the total), paper and board (18 per cent), putrescible waste such as kitchen waste (17 per cent), general household sweepings (9 per cent), glass (7 per cent), wood (5 per cent), wood and furniture (5 per cent), scrap metal/white goods (5 per cent), soil (3 per cent), textiles (3 per cent), metal packaging (3 per cent) and disposable nappies (2 per cent).
Further Information:
- Source:
- Dr Julian Parfitt, WRAP. Analysis for 'Waste not, Want not' 2002
- Sustainable Development Indicators:
- Sustainable consumption and production: Waste
- Sustainable consumption and production: Household waste and recycling
Data Tables:
Download Chart Data: Microsoft Excel
- References, further reading and links to other resources:
- 'Analysis of household waste composition and factors driving waste increases', (2002) Analysis for 'Waste Not, Want Not' (2002), Prime Ministers Strategy Unit
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Page last modified: 9 October 2006
Page published: 9 October 2006