SDR 174/2011
27 September 2011
Local Authority Municipal Waste Management,
April - June 2011
This release covers provisional quarterly results from the Environment Agency’s WasteDataFlow system
for April – June 2011 (Quarter 1, 2011-12). The results for this quarter are provisional, as final figures on
waste collected and waste disposed are not calculated until after the end of the financial year. Following
consultation this and future releases will include a table showing 12 month rolling averages to monitor
progress towards waste targets.
Data on waste management is collected in order to monitor progress towards national and local targets;
in particular against the requirements of the EU Landfill Directive. The aim of this Directive is to reduce
the amount of methane emitted from landfill sites by setting targets for Member States to reduce the
amount of biodegradable municipal waste sent to landfill. In “Towards Zero Waste”, the Welsh
Government set a target of recycling 70 per cent of waste by 2025.
Key Results
• The percentage of local authority municipal waste reused, recycled, and composted in Wales
increased, from 44 per cent in April to June 2010 to 48 per cent in April to June 2011.
• The combined reuse/recycling/composting rate for Wales increased from 40 per cent for the 12
months to June 2010 to 45 per cent for the 12 months to June 2011, based on provisional data.
• The total amount of local authority municipal waste produced in Wales has continued to decrease,
from 413 thousand tonnes in April to June 2010 to 393 thousand tonnes in April to June 2011.
• The residual household waste produced per person in Wales has also continued to decrease, falling
from 70 kilograms per person in April to June 2010 to 62 kilograms per person in April to June 2011.
Chart 1 – Percentage of municipal waste prepared for reuse, recycled or composted, Wales
60
50
40
30
20
10
Apr-Jun 11
Jan-Mar 11
Oct-Dec 10
Jul-Sep 10
Apr-Jun 10
Jan-Mar 10
Oct-Dec 09
Jul-Sep 09
Apr-Jun 09
Jan-Mar 09
Oct-Dec 08
Jul-Sep 08
Apr-Jun 08
Jan-Mar 08
Oct-Dec 07
Jul-Sep 07
Apr-Jun 07
Jan-Mar 07
Oct-Dec 06
Jul-Sep 06
Apr-Jun 06
0
Statistician: Rhiannon Caunt
Tel: 029 2082 5616
E-mail: [email protected]
Next update: January 2012 (provisional)
Twitter: www.twitter.com/ystadegaucymru | www.twitter.com/statisticswales
1
Table 1 – Combined local authority municipal waste preparation for reuse,
dry recycling and composting rates, by local authority, 12 month rolling averages (a)
Percentage
Year Ending
Jun 2010
Sep 2010
Dec 2010
Mar 2011
Jun 2011 (p)
Isle of Anglesey
50
52
53
54
55
Gwynedd
42
44
44
44
45
Conwy
41
41
41
42
43
Denbighshire
52
53
54
55
55
Flintshire
41
42
43
43
42
Wrexham
44
45
46
47
48
Powys
38
37
36
37
37
Ceredigion
45
42
47
49
53
Pembrokeshire
42
44
44
45
45
Carmarthenshire
41
41
42
43
44
Swansea
35
36
38
40
43
Neath Port Talbot
37
37
39
41
40
Bridgend
32
36
42
46
50
Vale of Glamorgan
38
38
38
40
42
Cardiff
40
40
41
42
43
Rhondda Cynon Taf
35
36
38
41
44
Merthyr Tydfil
35
35
36
35
35
Caerphilly
48
51
51
51
52
Blaenau Gwent
31
32
34
35
37
Torfaen
43
41
41
42
43
Monmouthshire
43
44
46
48
50
Newport
40
41
43
44
45
Rural (b)
43
43
44
45
46
Urban (b)
39
40
42
43
44
Valley (b)
38
39
41
43
45
Wales
40
41
42
44
45
Source: WasteDataFlow
(a) This table shows combined recycling and composting rates for rolling 12-month periods ending in the months shown. For example the year
ending June 2011 includes the 12 months from July 2010 to June 2011 inclusive.
(b) See point 9 in ‘Key Quality Information’ for definition.
(p) Based on provisional data. See point 6 in ‘Key Quality Information’.
•
The combined preparation for reuse, dry recycling and composting rate for Wales (known as the
reuse/recycling/composting rate) increased from 40 per cent for the 12 months to June 2010 to 45
per cent for the 12 months to June 2011 1 , an increase of 5 percentage points.
•
The local authority with the highest reuse/recycling/composting rate in the year to June 2011 was
Denbighshire (55.1 per cent).
•
When grouped together, rural authorities had the highest reuse/recycling/composting rate in the
year to June 2011 (45.7 per cent) whilst urban authorities had the lowest (43.7 per cent).
1
This is based on provisional data for April to June 2011 and finalised data for the rest of the period.
2
Table 2 – Combined local authority municipal waste reuse/recycling/composting rates,
by local authority, April to June quarter
Percentage
Percentage point
Apr - Jun 07
Apr - Jun 08
Apr - Jun 09
Apr - Jun 10 Apr - Jun 11 (p)
change
(2010 to 2011) (a)
Isle of Anglesey
34
45
53
57
59
2
Gwynedd
30
33
40
43
46
2
Conwy
41
45
43
43
47
4
Denbighshire
27
34
54
58
58
0
Flintshire
33
41
44
45 r
45
0
2
Wrexham
44
43
43
50
52
Powys
44
38
42
38
39
1
Ceredigion (b)
47
41
51
44
58
14
Pembrokeshire
31
33
39
45
46
1
Carmarthenshire
29
32
41
44 r
48
4
Swansea
33
33
38
39
48
9
Neath Port Talbot
32
31
35
44
40
-4
Bridgend
35
38
32
36
49
13
Vale of Glamorgan
34
39
42
42
50
7
Cardiff
26
34
41
43
46
3
Rhondda Cynon Taf
32
34
35
38
47
9
Merthyr Tydfil
24
28
35
38
39
1
4
Caerphilly
27
34
39
53
57
Blaenau Gwent
15
21
27
32
37
5
Torfaen
37
42
47
44
45
1
Monmouthshire
37
41
42
48
55
7
Newport
36
38
40
43
48
4
Rural (c)
35
37
44
45 r
49
4
Urban (c)
33
37
41
44 r
47
4
Valley (c)
30
34
36
42
47
5
Wales
33
36
41
44 r
48
4
Source: WasteDataFlow
(a) See point 14 in ‘Key Quality Information’ for calculation.
(b) See point 8 in ‘Key Quality Information’.
(c) See point 9 in ‘Key Quality Information’ for definition.
(p) Provisional data. See point 6 in ‘Key Quality Information’.
r The data item has been revised based on receipt of finalised data since previously published.
• The local authority municipal waste reuse/recycling/composting rate for Wales increased from 44
per cent in April to June 2010 to 48 per cent in April to June 2011.
• Isle of Anglesey had the highest combined reuse/recycling/composting rate in April to June 2011 of
59 per cent, whilst Blaenau Gwent had the lowest, 37 per cent.
• When grouped together, rural local authorities had the highest reuse/recycling/composting rates for
the April to June 2011 quarter.
3
Table 3 – Local authority municipal waste reuse/dry recycling and composting rates,
by local authority
Percentage
Reuse/Recycling
Composting
Percentage point
Apr - Jun 10
Apr - Jun 11 (p)
Percentage point
change
(2010 to 2011) (a)
Apr - Jun 10 Apr - Jun 11 (p)
change
(2010 to 2011) (a)
Isle of Anglesey
23
23
-
34
36
2
Gwynedd
22
21
-1
21
25
3
Conwy
24
25
2
19
22
2
Denbighshire
32
32
-
26
26
-
Flintshire
22 r
22
-
23 r
23
-
Wrexham
24
26
2
27
26
-
Powys
21
24
3
17
16
-1
Ceredigion (b)
34
38
5
11
20
9
Pembrokeshire
28
30
2
17
16
-2
Carmarthenshire
26 r
30
4
18
18
-
Swansea
24
29
5
15
19
4
Neath Port Talbot
31
25
-6
13
15
2
Bridgend
25
32
7
11
18
7
Vale of Glamorgan
24
24
-
18
25
7
Cardiff
22
23
1
21
23
2
Rhondda Cynon Taf
31
35
4
7
12
5
Merthyr Tydfil
24
24
-
13
14
1
Caerphilly
34
39
4
19
18
-
Blaenau Gwent
23
28
4
9
9
1
Torfaen
22
23
2
23
22
-1
Monmouthshire
21
24
3
27
30
4
Newport
23
23
-
20
24
4
Rural (c)
25 r
26
2
20
23
2
Urban (c)
23 r
25
2
21 r
23
2
Valley (c)
29
31
2
13
16
3
Wales
25 r
27
2
18 r
21
2
Source: WasteDataFlow
(a) See point 14 in ‘Key Quality Information’ for calculation.
(b) See point 8 in ‘Key Quality Information’.
(c) See point 9 in ‘Key Quality Information’ for definition.
(p) Provisional data. See point 6 in ‘Key Quality Information’.
r The data item has been revised based on receipt of finalised data since previously published.
•
The local authority municipal waste reuse/dry recycling rate for Wales in April to June increased
from 25 per cent in 2010 to 27 per cent for the same quarter in 2011.
•
The municipal waste composting rate for Wales also increased, from 18 per cent in April to June
2010 to 21 per cent for the same quarter in 2011.
•
Caerphilly had the highest reuse/dry recycling rate (39 per cent) in April to June 2011, whilst Isle of
Anglesey had the highest composting rate (36 per cent).
•
When grouped together, rural and urban authorities had similar rates for both reuse/dry recycling
and composting, whereas valley authorities reported higher reuse/dry recycling rates but lower
composting rates.
4
Table 4 - Total local authority municipal waste, by local authority
Thousand tonnes
Apr - Jun 10 Apr - Jun 11 (p)
Percentage
change
(2010 to 2011)
(a)
Apr - Jun 07
Apr - Jun 08
Apr - Jun 09
Isle of Anglesey
11.6
11.5
11.5
11.6
11.2
Gwynedd
21.1
20.3
20.5
19.4
20.0
3
Conwy
22.2
19.2
17.1
16.2
15.9
-2
Denbighshire
12.5
12.6
11.3
11.4
10.6
-7
Flintshire
24.6
22.6
22.3
22.1 r
22.1
-
Wrexham
21.7
20.8
20.2
20.2
19.6
-3
Powys
22.1
21.5
21.2
19.9
18.9
-5
Ceredigion (b)
11.6
9.9
11.5
10.6
9.0
-15
Pembrokeshire
18.6
17.1
16.7
16.8
15.4
-8
Carmarthenshire
24.7
23.3
21.0
20.5
19.3
-6
Swansea
37.1
35.0
34.1
32.6
28.4
-13
-3
Neath Port Talbot
22.5
20.7
21.7
20.8
18.9
-9
Bridgend
21.9
21.6
19.3
17.1
16.2
-5
Vale of Glamorgan
16.3
16.5
16.4
15.5
15.1
-2
Cardiff
48.1
47.1
47.1
45.5
44.1
-3
Rhondda Cynon Taf
31.4
31.0
30.2
29.9
28.3
-5
8.5
8.5
8.0
8.1
7.7
-5
Caerphilly
25.6
27.0
25.6
24.2
23.5
-3
Blaenau Gwent
10.3
9.7
8.5
8.5
8.4
-1
Torfaen
12.7
12.4
12.4
11.9
12.1
2
Merthyr Tydfil
Monmouthshire
13.9
13.1
12.6
12.6
11.6
-8
Newport
18.7
18.2
17.5
17.2
17.3
-
Rural (c)
174.6
165.2
159.9
154.5
146.9
-5
Urban (c)
150.2
143.7
141.3
137.7 r
131.5
-4
Valley (c)
132.9
130.9
125.7
120.3
115.0
-4
Wales
457.7
439.8
426.9
412.5 r
393.5
-5
Source: WasteDataFlow
(a) See point 14 in ‘Key Quality Information’ for calculation.
(b) See point 8 in ‘Key Quality Information’.
(c) See point 9 in ‘Key Quality Information’.
(p) Provisional data. See point 6 in ‘Key Quality Information’.
r The data item has been revised based on receipt of finalised data since previously published.
•
The total amount of local authority municipal waste generated in Wales continued to decrease, from
413 thousand tonnes in April to June 2010 to 393 thousand tonnes in April to June 2011. Overall the
amount of local authority municipal waste generated in April to June 2011 was 5 per cent lower than
for the same quarter in 2010 and 14 per cent lower than for the same quarter in 2007.
•
The majority of local authorities saw a decrease in the total local authority municipal waste
generated in the April to June quarter, with decreases of up to 15 per cent compared to the same
quarter in 2010.
5
Table 5 - Residual household waste produced per person, by local authority (a)
Kilograms per person
Apr - Jun 07
Isle of Anglesey
Apr - Jun 08
Apr - Jun 09
Apr - Jun 10 (r)
Apr - Jun 11 (p)
Percentage change
(2010 to 2011) (b)
-11
101
91
78
73
65
Gwynedd
94
92
77
66
66
0
Conwy
75
69
67
63
60
-6
70
85
53
48
46
-5
103
85
81
74
77
4
Denbighshire
Flintshire
Wrexham
80
77
72
66
61
-8
Powys
94
101
81
83
76
-8
-29
Ceredigion (c)
86
80
86
80
57
Pembrokeshire
96
89
80
70
65
-8
Carmarthenshire
97
84
65
59
52
-11
-28
Swansea
92
87
79
74
53
117
106
105
83
80
-3
Bridgend
97
95
92
77
55
-29
Vale of Glamorgan
87
82
77
71
61
-14
Cardiff
93
83
72
71
62
-12
Neath Port Talbot
Rhondda Cynon Taf
Merthyr Tydfil
Caerphilly
Blaenau Gwent
Torfaen
87
87
83
77
64
-16
120
114
95
94
83
-11
89
90
79
58
53
-9
121
107
87
81
72
-10
90
80
67
68
64
-6
Monmouthshire
94
83
76
67
52
-22
Newport
79
73
68
62
59
-5
Rural (d)
90
86
73
67
60
-11
Urban (d)
91
82
74
70
62
-12
Valley (d)
98
94
87
75
65
-13
Wales
93
87
78
70
62
-12
Source: WasteDataFlow
(a) Residual waste is the amount of waste that is not sent for reuse, recycling or composting. This is calculated as the total amount of household
waste minus household waste sent for reuse, recycling and composting. See point 12 in ‘Key Quality Information’ for calculation.
(b) See point 14 in ‘Key Quality Information’ for calculation.
(c) See point 8 in ‘Key Quality Information’.
(d) See point 9 in ‘Key Quality Information’ for definition.
(p) Provisional data. See point 6 in ‘Key Quality Information’.
(r) The Office for National Statistics (ONS) published mid-year population estimates for 2010 on 30 June 2011. These estimates have been
used to revise the figures shown since the previous publication. See point 12 in ‘Key Quality Information’.
•
Residual household waste in Wales decreased from 70 kilograms per person in April to June 2010 to
62 kilograms per person for the same quarter in 2011.
•
For Wales as a whole residual household waste per person for April to June 2011 has decreased by
12 per cent compared to the same quarter in 2010, with decreases of up to 29 per cent for some
authorities.
•
When grouped together, valley local authorities continued to produce the highest amount of
residual household waste per person in the April to June quarter, but they also showed the largest
percentage decrease for the quarter between 2010 and 2011.
6
Table 6 - Residual household waste produced per dwelling, by local authority (a)
Kilograms per dwelling
Apr - Jun 07
Apr - Jun 08
Apr - Jun 09
Apr - Jun 10
Percentage change
Apr - Jun 11 (p) (2010 to 2011) (b)
Isle of Anglesey
209
186
159
147
130
Gwynedd
189
183
154
131
130
-12
-
Conwy
154
142
135
127
119
-7
Denbighshire
157
190
119
107
101
-5
Flintshire
240
197
186
171 r
176
3
Wrexham
188
179
168
152
139
-9
Powys
203
217
173
175
161
-8
Ceredigion (c)
195
182
194
180
127
-30
Pembrokeshire
200
183
163
142
130
-9
Carmarthenshire
215
186
143
128
113
-12
Swansea
199
188
170
159
113
-29
Neath Port Talbot
255
231
227
179
172
-4
Bridgend
219
213
206
172
122
-29
Vale of Glamorgan
197
185
174
161
139
-14
Cardiff
215
188
164
164 r
144
-13
Rhondda Cynon Taf
196
196
186
171
143
-16
-12
Merthyr Tydfil
262
247
205
200
176
Caerphilly
203
204
179
131
119
-9
Blaenau Gwent
264
233
189
174
155
-11
Torfaen
206
184
154
153
144
-6
Monmouthshire
212
185
170
147
115
-22
Newport
179
166
154
140
132
-6
-11
Rural (d)
194
184
157
143
127
Urban (d)
206
185
168
159 r
139
-13
Valley (d)
221
211
193
165
143
-13
Wales
206
192
171
155 r
135
-12
Source: WasteDataFlow
(a) Residual waste is the amount of waste that is not sent for reuse, recycling or composting. This is calculated as the total amount of household
waste minus household waste sent for reuse, recycling and composting. See point 13 in ‘Key Quality Information’ for calculation.
(b) See point 14 in ‘Key Quality Information’ for calculation.
(c) See point 8 in ‘Key Quality Information’.
(d) See point 9 in ‘Key Quality Information’ for definition.
(p) Provisional data. See point 6 in ‘Key Quality Information’.
r The data item has been revised based on receipt of finalised data since previously published.
•
Residual household waste in Wales decreased to 135 kilograms per dwelling in April to June 2011
from 155 kilograms per dwelling for the same quarter in 2010.
•
For most authorities residual household waste per dwelling decreased compared with April to June
2010. As with residual waste per person, across Wales residual waste per dwelling decreased by 12
per cent in April to June 2011 compared to the same quarter in 2010.
•
When grouped together, valley authorities continued to produce the highest amount of residual
household waste per dwelling in the April to June quarter compared to urban or rural authorities.
However, valley authorities showed the largest percentage decrease (13.4 per cent) in waste per
dwelling for the April to June quarter between 2010 and 2011, closely followed by urban authorities
(12.7 per cent).
7
Key Quality Information
1. Previously the term 'Municipal Waste' as used in the UK was used in waste policies and nationally
reported data to refer to waste collected by local authorities. In fact the definition of municipal waste
as described in the Landfill Directive includes both household waste and that from other sources
which is similar in nature and composition, which will include a significant proportion of waste
generated by businesses and not collected by Local Authorities. In 2010, discussions with the EU
Commission led to the reinterpretation of the term 'municipal waste' and the definitions supporting
national targets have changed to reflect this.
To remove ambiguity, for the purposes of this release, 'Local Authority Municipal waste' is as
defined in the Waste (Wales) Measure 2010. Results for the amount and type of waste collected and
how it is disposed of are collected through the WasteDataFlow system (www.wastedataflow.org).
The recycling, preparation for reuse and composting targets (monitoring and penalties) (Wales)
Regulations 2011, require that local authorities submit their data to WasteDataFlow each quarter.
Each quarterly summary is therefore based on returns from all 22 authorities.
Comparability
2. It is important to note that there are inter-seasonal differences between the data for each quarter and
each local authority. These differences may be due to the fact that some local authorities have a
higher tonnage of waste in July to September due to an influx of tourists. The composting figures are
usually lower in quarters 3 and 4 due to lower amounts of garden waste generated outside the
growing season. For this reason, the comparison is only presented for the same quarter of each year
in this release.
3. At various times, local authorities also introduce new services, for example collections of food waste,
so composting figures for the relevant quarter will be higher than the previous quarter. Taking all of
these factors into account, a degree of caution is needed when carrying out comparisons between
successive quarters and each local authority.
4. Separate figures for reuse and recycling have been collected via WasteDataFlow from April to June
2010 onwards. Figures for recycling up until January to March 2010 include reuse as well as
recycling. This applies to data published in previous releases.
5. Abandoned vehicles, rubble, incinerator residues, matter from beach cleansing and plasterboard are
excluded from all results in this release. Results for these items are included in the annual municipal
waste management report, which is due to be published in October.
Accuracy
6. Quarterly waste data for the current year is provisional, with final figures being calculated after the
end of the financial year. This release tries to strike a balance between publishing early provisional
results and waiting for more accurate data. We welcome feedback about how well we achieve this
balance.
7. In the tables where figures have been rounded to the nearest final digit, the constituent items may
not add up exactly to the total.
8. The figures shown for Ceredigion may be affected by a reporting/timing issue with the local
authority receiving late returns from waste contractors. Ceredigion are working with contractors to
improve the timing of data provision.
8
Definitions
9. In this release local authorities have been grouped to help compare similar local authorities. These
groupings have been selected specifically for waste management reasons in discussion with Welsh
local authorities.
Rural authorities: Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Conwy, Denbighshire, Gwynedd, Isle of Anglesey,
Monmouthshire, Pembrokeshire, Powys, Vale of Glamorgan
Urban authorities: Cardiff, Flintshire, Newport, Swansea, Wrexham
Valley authorities: Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend, Caerphilly, Merthyr Tydfil, Neath Port Talbot,
Rhondda Cynon Taff, Torfaen
10. Reuse/recycling/composting rates are calculated based on the amount of waste in tonnes that was
either prepared for reuse or collected for recycling or composted. The combined amount for these
three types of processing is divided by the total amount of waste in tonnes collected by or on behalf
of local authorities to give the rates by local authority, type of authority and for Wales as a whole.
11. Residual waste is the amount of waste that is not sent for reuse, recycling or composting and is
instead sent for landfill or other forms of waste disposal, including incineration. As a result, residual
household waste is calculated as the total amount of household waste minus household waste sent
for reuse, recycling and composting.
12. The residual household waste per person is calculated by dividing the residual household waste by
the total population. Population figures are obtained from the mid-year population estimates
produced by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). These figures are available on StatsWales. The
figures for April to June 2011 have been calculated using the 2010 mid-year population estimates
published on 30 June 2011 but will be recalculated using the 2011 mid-year population estimates
once they become available. The 2010 mid-year population estimates have been used to revise the
figures previously published in Table 5 for April to June 2010.
13. The residual household waste per dwelling is calculated by dividing the residual household waste
by the number of dwellings in Wales. Dwellings figures are based on council tax dwellings collected
through the Welsh Government council tax dwellings survey. These figures are available on
StatsWales.
14. A percentage point change is the difference between two percentages. For example, an increase from
8 per cent to 10 per cent is a 2 percentage point increase. However, a percentage change represents
the relative change between two values. For example, an increase from 8 tonnes to 10 tonnes is a 25
per cent increase.
15. The following symbol has been used throughout the publication:
- less than half 0.5 but greater than zero.
Revisions
16. Figures for April to June 2011 are provisional and are subject to revision once end of year results
have been calculated.
17. Local authorities are able to amend the quarterly figures they provide to WasteDataFlow within the
current financial year. Revisions to data for previous quarters on StatsWales are made accordingly
when data for subsequent quarters are published.
Relevance
18. Waste statistics are important for policy development and planning the delivery of public services,
such as waste management. Some of the uses include:
•
Monitoring of progress towards waste targets
•
Policy development
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•
Advice to Ministers
•
Informing debate in the National Assembly for Wales and beyond
•
Geographic profiling, comparisons and benchmarking
19. There is a variety of users of waste statistics including national and local government, researchers,
students and individual citizens.
Further Information
20. These data are outside the scope of National Statistics.
21. Additional quarterly municipal waste data is available on www.statswales.wales.gov.uk ,within the
Environment folder.
22. Further information on waste and recyling in Wales can be found on the Statistics for Wales website:
http://wales.gov.uk/topics/statistics/theme/environment/wasterecycle/?lang=en
23. The latest waste data for England can be found on the DEFRA website:
http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/waste/statistics/index.htm
24. Following a review of environment and sustainability statistical outputs the format of this release
has been updated. This has mainly involved the inclusion of a table presenting combined
reuse/recycling/composting rates on a rolling 12 month basis, and re-ordering of some of the tables.
We would welcome any feedback on the new format. If you have any comments on this or any other
aspect of this statistical release, please complete our feedback form. This is in order to provide more
up to date monitoring of progress towards waste targets.
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