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National Statistics

STATISTICAL RELEASE

Ref: 404/07
Date: 6 November 2007

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Municipal waste management statistics 2006/07

Defra today published the first set of estimates from the Department’s 2006/7 survey of municipal waste. This is the third year that results are based on information supplied by local authorities in England to WasteDataFlow.  For 2006/7, there was again a 100% response rate to WasteDataFlow. The figures for financial year 2006/7 show an increase in total municipal waste, a further increase in recycling, and a decrease in the amount sent to landfill. 

Municipal waste arisings and management

The total amount of collected municipal waste has increased to an estimated 29.1 million tonnes in England in 2006/07 compared to 28.7 million tonnes in 2005/06, an increase of 1.4 per cent.  The average annual increase in municipal waste from 2001/02 to 2006/07 was 0.2 per cent.

In total, 41.8 per cent (12.2 million tonnes) of municipal waste had some sort of value (recycling, composting, energy from waste and fuel manufacture) recovered from it in 2006/07, a rise from 37.2 per cent (10.7 million tonnes) in 2005/06.

The proportion of municipal waste being recycled or composted increased from 27.1 per cent in 2005/06 to 30.7 per cent in 2006/07. The proportion of waste incinerated with energy recovery increased from 10 per cent in 2005/06 to 11 per cent in 2006/07.

The proportion of municipal waste being disposed of in landfill has continued to decrease from 62 per cent in 2005/06 to 58 per cent in 2006/07.

The actual tonnage of municipal waste disposed of in landfill has also decreased again from 17.9 million tonnes in 2005/06 to 16.9 million tonnes in 2006/07.

Household waste and recycling

In 2006/07, household sources accounted for 89 per cent of municipal waste, 25.9 million tonnes, which equates to around 509 kg of household waste per person per annum. 

The amount of waste collected from household sources increased by 1.6 per cent in 2006/7, from 25.5 million tonnes in 2005/06 to 25.9 million tonnes in 2006/07.  The average annual change in total household waste over the last five years is 0.3 per cent.

The proportion of household waste recycled (including composting) has continued to increase, rising from 26.7 per cent in 2005/06 to 30.9 per cent in 2006/07. This increase in the national recycling rate of 4.2 percentage points is the same as the growth rate achieved last year.  

In absolute terms the amount of household waste sent for recycling or composting has increased by 17 per cent, from 6.8 million tonnes in 2005/06 to 8.0 million tonnes in 2006/07.

The amount of household waste not re-used, recycled or composted was 17.9 million tonnes, a decrease of 4.2 per cent from 2005/6.  This equates to 352kg per person of collected residual household waste.
The chart below shows the changes in household waste and recycling per capita.

Household waste and recyclnig in Enlgand 1996/97 to 2006/07

Regional variations

There continues to be variations in household recycling and composting rates between different regions with regional recycling rates ranging from 22 per cent in London to over 35 per cent in the East, East Midlands and South West.

The proportion of municipal waste with some value recovered from it (recycling, composting, energy from waste and fuel manufacture) also varies by region from the West Midlands recovering value from 58 per cent of their municipal waste to the North West with a recovery rate of 34 per cent.

The tables showing summary estimates, by region, from the 2006/07 WasteDataFlow survey, together with results from earlier years may be found on the Defra web site at: www.defra.gov.uk/environment/statistics/wastats/index.htm

Table 1 shows a breakdown of municipal waste, by region 2000/01 – 2006/7
Table 2 shows the management of municipal waste, by region 2000/01 – 2006/7.
Table 3 shows the recycling and recovery rates for household and municipal waste, 2000/01 – 2006/7
Table 4 shows household waste and recycling per capita, 1983/84 – 2006/7
Table 5 shows the regional household recycling rates – 2000/01 – 2006/7
Tables 6-10 shows Tables 1 to 5 broken down into quarters for 2006/7

Notes to editors

  1. These tables are the first release of data from WasteDataFlow for 2006/7 and are national and regional estimates based on local authority returns in England.
  2. For 2006/7 there was a 100% response rate on WasteDataFlow. The data entered into WasteDataFlow are also used by the Environment Agency to monitor biodegradable municipal waste sent to landfill by local authorities under the Landfill Allowances Trading Scheme.
  3. This is the third annual set of results to be produced from the WasteDataFlow system. Some care should be taken when comparing 2004/5 onwards with previous years results from the Municipal Waste Management Surveys.
  4. The annual estimates for 2004/5 are based on data from Local Authorities where four complete and validated quarterly returns have been provided to WasteDataFlow. Figures for 2004/5 are based on a response rate of 60%, as at July 2006. Missing data have been estimated using Best Value Performance Indicator data for 2003/4 and 2004/5 and Municipal Waste Management Survey data for 2003/4.  A detailed description of the methodology for estimating missing data is available on request.  
  5. Household waste includes household collection rounds (‘bin’ waste), other household collections such as  bulky waste collections, waste from services such as litter collections, waste from civic amenity sites and wastes separately collected for recycling or composting through bring/drop off schemes, kerbside schemes and at civic amenity sites. Municipal waste is that which comes under the control of the Local Authority and includes household waste and other wastes collected by a waste collection authority or its agents, such as municipal parks and gardens waste, beach cleansing waste, commercial or industrial waste, and waste resulting from the clearance of fly-tipped materials.
  6. The amount of waste sent for reuse, recycling and composting is that which is accepted by the reprocessor. As such it excludes any recycling rejects that occur during collection, sorting or further treatment. Waste diverted for recycling from the residual stream by further processing is included in the recycling tonnages.
  7. Waste Strategy 2007 for England set out targets for the management of municipal and household waste. These include a target to recycle or compost at least 40 per cent of household waste by 2010.  Further information can be found on the Defra website. www.defra.gov.uk/environment/waste/strategy/index.htm
  8. The chart showing household waste and recycling figures is also one of the supporting indicators, (indicator 19), of sustainable development as set out in the UK Government’s Sustainable Development Strategy, Securing the Future, launched on 7 March 2005. On 27 July 2007 an update of the national indicators was published both as a free pocket booklet Sustainable development indicators in your pocket 2007 and here on the sustainable development website. http://www.sustainable-development.gov.uk/progress/index.htm

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Page published: 6 November 2007

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs