E Waste Final UK
E Waste Final UK
E Waste Final UK
November 2021
National Infrastructure Commission | Second National Infrastructure Assessment: Baseline Report – Annex E: Waste
Contents
Local authority collected waste breakdown 3
E.1 Sector overview 4
E.2 Industry, governance and regulation 6
E.3 Funding and finance 7
E.4 Performance 9
E.5 Looking ahead 15
E.6 Opportunities and challenges 15
Endnotes 16
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National Infrastructure Commission | The Second National Infrastructure Assessment: Baseline Report – Annex E: Waste
MECHANICAL MECHANICAL
PLASTIC METAL
RECYCLING RECYCLING
PLANT PLANT
1 million 2 million
tonnes tonnes
HEAT
ELECTRICITY
OTHER RECYCLING
Sources: Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (2021), Commission calculations
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National Infrastructure Commission | Second National Infrastructure Assessment: Baseline Report – Annex E: Waste
England generated 187 million tonnes of waste in 2018, including 120 million tonnes of construction
waste,3 22 million tonnes of household waste,4 with the remainder from other commercial and industrial
sectors.5 Local authorities manage household waste, and some other waste streams such as collections
from street bins and some commercial waste collected by local authorities. In 2018-19, local authorities in
England collected 26 million tonnes of waste.6
The total volume of waste produced in England has increased over the last decade (figure E.1). In 2010,
the aggregate volume was around 170 million tonnes, which when compared to 2018 totals, shows a 12
per cent increase.7
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National Infrastructure Commission | Second National Infrastructure Assessment: Baseline Report – Annex E: Waste
Disposal methods vary for different waste types and material streams. While the construction sector
generates the most waste, much of this is recovered.8 Part of this recovery will be through a construction
process, known as backfilling, which reuses or replaces the soil that is removed during the excavation of
foundations, along with ground bearing slabs and other groundworks used to support and strengthen
a structure. While there are specific challenges associated with construction waste, this annex focuses
on the performance of the local authority waste sector, where more consistent data are available.
However, commercial waste and construction waste from other infrastructure sectors will be considered
as part of the Commission’s work in the second Assessment (see Chapter 3: Climate Resilience and the
Environment).
Local authority collected waste is disposed of via landfill and incineration, or processed through energy
from waste, recycling and mechanical biological treatment (including composting and anaerobic
digestion). General black bag waste is either incinerated (with or without energy recovery) or sent to
landfill. Mixed recycling is sent to Materials Recovery Facilities (MRFs), to be sorted. Dry recycling such
as plastic, glass, metal and paper is then sent to further recycling plants to be processed for future use.
Food, when separated from other general waste, can go directly to compost or anaerobic digestion
plants. Figure E.2 shows the mix of treatment methods for local authority collected waste.
Figure E.1: Total waste generation in England has risen marginally year on year
Total tonnage of all waste arisings in England from 2010-2018
200
180
160
140
120
Million tonnes
100
80
60
40
20
0
2010 2012 2014 2016 2018
Year
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National Infrastructure Commission | Second National Infrastructure Assessment: Baseline Report – Annex E: Waste
Figure E.2 Local authority collected waste is increasingly going to recycling and energy from waste
rather than landfill
Treatment of local authority collected waste, England, million tonnes, 2000-2020
Landfill Recycled Incineration with EfW Other Incineration without EfW
25
20
15
Million tonnes
10
Year
Source: Defra (2021), ENV18- Local authority collected waste: annual results tables9
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National Infrastructure Commission | Second National Infrastructure Assessment: Baseline Report – Annex E: Waste
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National Infrastructure Commission | Second National Infrastructure Assessment: Baseline Report – Annex E: Waste
Figure E.3: The total cost of running the waste management sector highlights small fluctuations over
the past decade
Waste management resource spending by local and central government, 2008-09 to 2019-20
6,000
5,000
4,000
£m, 2019-20 prices
3,000
2,000
1,000
Year
Commercial and industrial businesses pay for waste management services directly. Certain businesses
that handle or place packaging on the UK market are subject to obligations to increase the recycling of
packaging waste. They do this by acquiring evidence of packaging waste recycling, in proportion to the
amount and type of packaging they place on the market, their role in the supply chain and the recycling
targets for the different packaging materials. This is referred to as the Packaging Recovery Notes
Scheme.23
Private waste companies and local authorities (depending on who owns the assets) will also raise funds
through selling the energy or other outputs produced by energy from waste, anaerobic digestion plants
and recycling plants. However, data is not collected systematically across private funding sources. The
large waste companies in the sector operate internationally, publishing financial statements covering
multiple countries. Furthermore, exemptions that apply to smaller companies limit the level of financial
details published.
Financing
The upfront investment in waste infrastructure is either financed directly by local authorities, financed
directly by the private sector, or by local authorities through private finance initiative (PFI) contracts
with the private sector. In the latter, the private sector finances the upfront costs of the construction
and development of new waste treatment plants, with local authorities repaying the investment over the
contract lifespan.24
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National Infrastructure Commission | Second National Infrastructure Assessment: Baseline Report – Annex E: Waste
Total public capital spending on waste management has marginally increased since 2010. There was also
a significant spike between 2017 and 2018 (as shown in figure E.4) caused by Greater Manchester Waste
Disposal Authority buying out its PFI contract.25
Figure E.4: Capital spending on waste has marginally increased, aside from the private finance
initiative buy out in 2017-18
Local and central government investment across waste collection and disposal in England, from 2010-11
to 2019-20
England England, excluding Manchester PFI buyout
3,500
3,000
2,500
2,000
£m, 2019-20 prices
1,500
1,000
500
0
2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20
Year
As is the case with funding sources, the multinational ownership structure of large waste infrastructure
companies, and financial reporting exemptions for smaller companies, makes it hard to present data on
private waste infrastructure investment in England.
E.4 Performance
Performance summary
Overall, the performance of the waste sector remains stable. Total waste generated has increased over
the last decade, but the growth in waste is considerably slower than the overall growth in the economy
and much slower than pre-2010. However, recycling rates have plateaued since 2013 (see figure E.5).
Greenhouse gas emissions from waste have reduced substantially since their highest point in 1996, as
biological waste has been diverted from landfill, reducing methane emissions. However, since around
2015, emissions have begun to increase as energy from waste emissions has grown. Further progress on
greenhouse gas reduction will be needed to meet net zero emissions by 2050.
The Local Government Association satisfaction poll on waste services shows customers were most
satisfied in 2013, but satisfaction has stayed relatively consistent since (see figure E.7).26
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National Infrastructure Commission | Second National Infrastructure Assessment: Baseline Report – Annex E: Waste
As noted in the funding and finance section, a lack of systematic data across the waste sector makes
it difficult to assess performance. It also results in issues with forecasting the future need for waste
assets. The Commission recommended a common data reporting framework for businesses handling
commercial and industrial waste in the first Assessment,27 though this has not yet been translated into
workable data.
Quality
Waste quality can be measured by the percentage of waste that is managed through a method further
up the waste hierarchy, such as recycling.
In 2018, of the 187 million tonnes of waste treated, around half (96.5 million tonnes) was recycled or
recovered, for example, treatment via recycling plants or energy from waste.28 In 2019-20, 43 per cent of
local authority collected waste in England was recycled.29
The government’s Resources & Waste Strategy set a target for 65 per cent of municipal waste to be
recycled by 2035.30 Municipal waste is a wider category than local authority collected waste, including
commercial waste with similar characteristics to household waste. Waste & Resources Action Programme
(WRAP) reported that 42 million tonnes of municipal waste were generated in 2017 in England.31
Internationally comparable data are available for the recycling of municipal waste at UK level. Figure E.6
shows the UK lags behind the best performers.
The packaging producer responsibility arrangements operate on a UK wide basis. For the UK, 67 per
cent of packaging was recycled in 2020, including 47 per cent of plastic packaging.32
Figure E.5: Local authority collected waste recycling rates have stagnated in recent years
England recycling rates from waste as collected by local authorities, from 2000 to 2020
100
90
80
70
60
Percentage
50
40
30
20
10
Year
Source: Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (2021), ENV23 – UK Statistics on Waste
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National Infrastructure Commission | Second National Infrastructure Assessment: Baseline Report – Annex E: Waste
Although the amount of waste that is recycled can be measured, there is a lack of publicly available
data on the capacity of waste recycling infrastructure.33 This makes it difficult to understand if there is
adequate capacity for recycling target increases, or if more infrastructure will be required in the future.
Figure E.6: The UK lags behind the best performers at recycling
Municipal recycling rates across comparative countries from 2008 and 2018
2008 2018
100
90
80
70
60
P ercentage
50
40
30
20
10
0
Germany South Korea Netherlands France United Kingdom Spain Canada Japan
Country
In the Commission’s social research, conducted in June 2021, solid waste management was ranked
the second lowest out of the Commission six infrastructure sectors in terms of levels of confidence in
meeting people’s needs in the next 30 years. However, that has grown since the 2017 assessment, from
58 per cent to 69 per cent of people surveyed having confidence in solid waste infrastructure meeting
their long term needs.36
Respondents also raised questions around the transparency of waste management processes (including
whether household recycling was in fact recycled), experiences of abandoned waste management
schemes and concerns around overconsumption and excess packaging.
These figures are consistent with polling from the Local Government Association, which has consistently
shown high satisfaction rates with the waste sector.37
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National Infrastructure Commission | Second National Infrastructure Assessment: Baseline Report – Annex E: Waste
Figure E.7: 78 per cent of respondents in February 2020 were satisfied with waste collection services
Waste satisfaction results as per Local Government Association polling on resident satisfaction with
councils
100
90
80
70
60
50
Percentage
40
30
20
10
0
Nov
Feb
Feb
Feb
Feb
June
Feb
June
Feb
June
Feb
June
Feb
June
Feb
Sep
Sep
Sep
Apr
July
Apr
Sep
July
Jun
Jun
Jun
Jan
Jan
Oct
Oct
Oct
Oct
Oct
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Year and Quarter
Source: Local Government Association (2021), Polling on resident satisfaction with councils: Round 28
Price
As the local authority collected waste sector is largely paid for via taxation, with the exception of local
authority collected commercial waste, it is possible to calculate the average net revenue burden of waste
management services for each household across England. Over the year 2020-21, households paid an
average of £29 for recycling, £95 for waste disposal, £42 for waste collection, £31 for street cleaning
(excluding highways) and £1 for waste minimisation, with £2 offset by income from trade waste per
household.38 These prices have declined gradually over the last decade.
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National Infrastructure Commission | Second National Infrastructure Assessment: Baseline Report – Annex E: Waste
Figure E.8: Households pay the most for waste disposal out of any waste management function
Net revenue burden of waste management services per household, according to local authorities,
England 2010-11 to 2019-20
Total Waste disposal Waste collection Recycling Waste minimisation Trade waste rebate to households
190
170
150
£ per household, 2019-20 prices
130
110
90
70
50
30
10
-10
2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20
Year
Source: MHCLG (2021), Local authority revenue expenditure and financing England: annual budget individual local authority data
Environment
The main measures of environmental impact across the sector are emission levels and pollution. The
waste sector, including energy from waste facilities, generated just over four per cent of total UK
greenhouse gas emissions in 2019, standing at just over 20MtCO2e.39 Of this, 14 MtCO2e came from
landfill sites, around 5 MtCO2e from energy from waste facilities, and 2 MtCO2e from incineration,
composting, anaerobic digestion and other forms of mechanical biological treatment.40 These domestic
figures do not account for emissions from exporting waste.
Waste sector emissions rose in the early 1990s due to an increase in methane emissions from landfill but
fell by 46 per cent between 2008 and 2018.41 This significant reduction began with the introduction of
the UK’s landfill tax, which financially incentivised the diversion of biodegradable waste from landfill.42
However, methane from landfill is still the largest source of greenhouse gas emission from the waste
sector.
The significant decrease in local authority waste going to landfill has been accompanied by a greater
proportion being incinerated for energy recovery rather than recycled or composted in England. This
has caused waste emissions to rise since 2014, as total emissions increased from 19.5 MtCO2e in 2014
to 22 MtCO2e in 2019.43 However, emissions from energy recovery plants are still significantly lower
than landfill and displace emissions that would otherwise be created by alternative forms of electricity
generation.44
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National Infrastructure Commission | Second National Infrastructure Assessment: Baseline Report – Annex E: Waste
The government has accepted the Commission’s recommendation to establish separate food waste
collection for households and businesses, to enable the production of biogas, by 2025. This will ensure
more biodegradable municipal waste is diverted to anaerobic digestion plants, further reducing
emissions from landfill and incineration.45
Figure E.9: Waste emissions have decreased since 1990 with a move away from landfill, but have
increased since 2014 as energy from waste emissions rise
Waste emissions broken down by waste disposal method, 1990 to 2021, UK
Total Landfill Energy from waste
Mechanical biological treatment Waste incineration Composting - non-household
70
60
50
40
MtCO2e
30
20
10
Year
Poor waste management can have other negative environmental impacts. The Environment Agency
reported 70 serious pollution incidents caused by waste management activities in England in 2019. There
has been a decrease in serious pollution incidents since 2015, with an 11 per cent decrease between 2018
and 2019.46 This overall downward trend is due to significant improvements across waste treatment and
biowaste. However, there have been no improvements to pollution incidents from landfill, and incidents
from incinerators have marginally increased.47
Resilience
There is little data available to assess the resilience of the waste sector, although local authorities have
well developed and tested contingency plans for their collections, as do the larger companies. Some
waste infrastructure is at risk of floods or coastal erosion,48 which could in turn exacerbate pollution.49
Waste services could also be affected by interruptions to other infrastructure services including
transport and energy,50 as well as global material prices.
Labour supply is also a potential risk to waste services, highlighted throughout the pandemic and
current issues in relation to HGV driver shortages. The government recently provided non-statutory
guidance to help local authorities and other waste collectors in England prioritise waste collection
services.51
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National Infrastructure Commission | Second National Infrastructure Assessment: Baseline Report – Annex E: Waste
This prioritised maintaining residual waste (black bag) collections to prevent waste from building up and
protect public health. Several local authorities released warnings for delayed collections due to staff
shortages caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
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National Infrastructure Commission | Second National Infrastructure Assessment: Baseline Report – Annex E: Waste
Endnotes
1 Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (2011), Waste Hierarchy Guidance
2 UK government (2020), Circular Economy Package policy statement
3 Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (2021), ENV23 – UK Statistics on Waste
4 Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (2021), UK Statistics on Waste
5 Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (2021), ENV23 – UK Statistics on Waste
6 Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (2019), Statistics on waste managed by local authorities in
England in 2018/19
7 Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (2021), ENV23 – UK Statistics on Waste
8 Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (2021), UK Statistics on Waste
9 Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (2021), ENV18- Local authority collected waste: annual results
tables
10 UK Legislation, Environment Protection Act 1990
11 Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (2018), Waste duty of care code of practice
12 Environment Agency (2021), Waste: environmental permits
13 Statista (2021), Revenues of leading UK waste management service companies 2019/2020
14 Metro Waste (2019), History of Waste Management
15 Chartered Institution of Wastes Management, Centenary History of Waste and Waste Managers in London and South
East England
16 Chartered Institution of Wastes Management, Centenary History of Waste and Waste Managers in London and South
East England
17 Chartered Institution of Wastes Management, Centenary History of Waste and Waste Managers in London and South
East England
18 The Trustee of the Wellcome Trust (2015), The Development of Waste Management in the UK c.1960–c.2000
19 The Trustee of the Wellcome Trust (2015), The Development of Waste Management in the UK c.1960–c.2000
20 Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (2018), Resources & Waste Strategy
21 HMT (2021), Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses
22 Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (2020), Local authority revenue expenditure and financing
England: 2019 to 2020, individual local authority data - outturn
23 Environment Agency (2020), Packaging waste: producer responsibility
24 Infrastructure Projects Authority (2018), Private Finance Initiative and Private Finance 2 projects: 2018 summary data
25 Commission calculations (2021), HMT, Country and Regional Analysis, 2013, 2015 and 2020
26 Local Government Association (2021), Polling on resident satisfaction with councils: Round 28
27 National Infrastructure Commission (2018), National Infrastructure Assessment
28 Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (2021), UK Statistics on Waste
29 Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (2021), Statistics on waste managed by local authorities in England
in 2019/20
30 Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (2018), Resources & Waste Strategy for England
31 Waste and Resources Action Programme (2017), National Municipal Waste Composition, England
32 Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (2021), ENV23 – UK Statistics on Waste
33 Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (2021), UK Statistics on Waste
34 OECD (2021), Municipal Waste, Generation and Treatment
35 Eurostat (2021), Recycling rate of municipal waste
36 PWC (2021), NIA2 Social Research
37 Local Government Association (2021), Polling on resident satisfaction with councils: Round 28
38 Suez (2019), The economics of change in the resources and waste sector
39 The Commission have compiled waste emissions figures by removing wastewater (see Annex D: Water and Wastewater)
from totals and adding in energy from waste emissions. Energy from waste has been removed from the energy emissions
totals (see Annex B: Energy). Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (2021), 2019 UK greenhouse gas
emissions: final figures - data tables 2019 UK greenhouse gas emissions: final figures – data tables; Department for
Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (2021), 2019 UK greenhouse gas emissions by Standard Industrial Classification
40 The Commission have compiled waste emissions figures by removing wastewater (see Annex D: Water and Wastewater)
from totals and adding in energy from waste emissions. Energy from waste has been removed from the energy emissions
totals (see Annex B: Energy). Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (2021), 2019 UK greenhouse gas
emissions: final figures - data tables 2019 UK greenhouse gas emissions: final figures – data tables; Department for
Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (2021), 2019 UK greenhouse gas emissions by Standard Industrial Classification
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National Infrastructure Commission | Second National Infrastructure Assessment: Baseline Report – Annex E: Waste
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