e-Digest Statistics about: Waste and Recycling
Industrial and Commercial Waste
The Environment Agency carried out a survey of some 4,500 industrial and commercial businesses in 2002/3. The information collected for each business included the type of waste, quantity of waste, the waste form, waste disposal or recovery method. Data collection was limited to controlled waste and relates to England only. The estimate of industrial waste includes power station ash, blast furnace and steel slag. More detailed information from these surveys and a separate survey for wales can be found on the Environment Agency website (link below).
In 2002/3 Industrial and Commercial waste in England totalled 68 million tonnes. Of this about 38 million tonnes was attributable to industry and 30 million to commerce. The individual sector that produced the most waste was the retail sector, which generated nearly 13 million tonnes of waste. This was followed by food, drink and tobacco manufacturing, and the professional services and other businesses, both producing more than 7 million tonnes, and the coke, oil, gas, electricity and water industries at just over 6 million tonnes.
Table 5 summarises the types of wastes arising by type of industrial and commercial operation. Around one third of the industrial waste is mineral wastes; and one-sixth is mixed general waste. The other main industrial waste streams are various chemical wastes (15 per cent), metallic wastes (7 per cent) and paper and card (7 per cent). The commercial sector is less varied with over half of the waste being classified as general mixed commercial waste. Paper and card account for 20 per cent of commercial waste.
Table 6 shows the waste management routes employed by the various industrial and commercial sectors. The survey was designed to exclude wastes reprocessed on site and effluent which leaves the site via the sewer; effluent or other liquid or sludge waste removed by tanker for subsequent treatment or disposal would be included. In 2002/3, for the first time, recycling and reuse had overtaken landfill as the most common method of waste management. Overall 44 per cent was sent to landfill and 45 per cent recycled. Industrial companies are more inclined to recycle or re-use their waste ( around 50 per cent) than are commercial companies (around 40 per cent).
Note: About 5 per cent of commercial and industrial waste recorded on the survey is sent to an unknown or unsampled destination. Similarly, about 2 per cent of waste is sent to transfer stations before going on for further disposal or recovery. This waste has been allocated to the existing management categories to produce an estimate for all commercial and industrial waste reaching each final destination.
Table 7 summarises the waste management options adopted for the types of waste streams within industry and within commerce. Almost all (over 90 per cent) of the separated paper and card and the metals waste streams are recycled irrespective of whether they were generated in an industrial or a commercial organisation. It should be appreciated when using this data that the 'paper and card' waste stream refers only to that collected separately. It does not include the paper and card component in the general waste streams.
In Detail:
Further Information:
- Key Facts:
- Total Annual Waste
- Industrial and commercial waste management
- Industrial and commercial waste materials
- Sustainable Development Indicators:
- Framework Indicator: Waste
- Framework indicator: Resource use
Data Tables:
- References, further reading and links to other resources:
- [5] Environment Agency (2000). Strategic Waste Management Assessment 2000, reports on each of the 9 planning regions of England and a single report for Wales. WRC, Swindon
- Internet Links:
- Environment Agency: Commercial and Industrial Waste Survey 2002/3
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Page last modified: 13 February 2006
Page published: 13 February 2006