Notes on the data
The league table figures have been derived from audited local authority numbers reported in WasteDataFlow (WDF), or connected figures on the websites of the Northern Irish and Welsh Governments, and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA).
The tonnages for local authorities were taken from reporting for household waste recycling and arisings – in the case of England and Wales, this is based on reporting of National Indicator 192. For Northern Ireland and Scotland, we have worked with these governments’ own reporting of household waste arisings for each council – in the case of Northern Ireland, there is a minor difference with NI192, and Scotland no longer makes NI192 data readily available.
Figures for household waste include materials collected through bring sites, household waste recovery centres (for UAs and WDAs), as well as recorded rejects from primary materials recovery facilities.
The population figures were drawn from final quarter figures submitted to WDF in answer to Question 01. It is worth noting that although the UK population continues to grow, household waste arisings have fallen for six consecutive years.
As is noted in the main feature accompanying this table, the data suffers from a weakness that the amount of commercial waste that is incorporated into the figures varies, and this is typically higher in the devolved administrations. Although we can see an inverse correlation between population density and waste arisings per capita, it does not follow that this reflects the level of actual waste-producing behaviour of people in a local authority.
The figures used are for the year April 2011 to March 2012, with the exception of Scotland, which at the time of going to press had not published waste figures for January-March 2012. For this reason, the Scottish data is drawn from data supplied by SEPA for January-December 2011. It is the Scottish Government’s intention to switch to reporting its waste by calendar year. According to a spokesperson for SEPA, this was to improve comparability with elsewhere in Europe.
As always, we welcome discussion about the best way to compile and report information on local authority performance. Please direct comments to: charles@resource.uk.com
A case of missing materials: Feature text
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How will the government and DMOs address the challenges of including glass in DRS while ensuring a level playing field across the UK?
There's no easy solution to include glass in the DRS while maintaining a level playing field. Potential approaches include a phased introduction of glass, potentially with higher deposits to reflect its logistical challenges. The government and DMOs could incentivise innovation in glass packaging design and subsidise dedicated return points for glass-handling. Exemptions for smaller businesses unable to handle glass might also be necessary. Any successful solution will likely blend several approaches. It must address the differing priorities of devolved administrations, balance environmental benefits with logistical and cost implications, and be supported by robust consumer education campaigns emphasizing the importance of glass recycling.