Facts

Key Facts

• The UK produces 434 m tonnes of waste each year - enough waste to fill the Albert Hall every two hours. 
• Householders produce almost 30 m tonnes of waste on average each year.
• 73% of this goes to landfill, even though 90% of this is recoverable - it could be recycled, composted or used to generate energy.
• Patterns of waste management vary considerably across the UK - householders in the West Midlands recover or recycle 43% of their waste and landfill 57%. Most of municipal waste in the North West is landfilled (87%), only 13% is recycled or recovered.
• It is estimated that the UK needs 2,000 additional pieces of waste management infrastructure in order to meet the requirements of the Landfill Directive alone
• Household waste grow by about 3% each year. This may not sound much but it means that our municipal waste will double by 2020.

Cost of Municipal Waste Management

• The UK spends less on waste management than other European countries who are recycling significant amounts of municipal waste.
• The UK pays about 50 pence per person per week on this and recovers value from 22% of household waste. France pays twice as much and recovers value from 50%. The Netherlands pays more than twice as much and recovers 88%.

Hazardous Waste

• 5.2 million tonnes of hazardous waste are produced in the UK each year.
• 39% of all hazardous waste in England and Wales is landfilled, ~40% was recycled or treated and 5% was incinerated.
• Illegal disposal (fly-tipping) of hazardous materials doubled between 2001 and 2002.
• New regulations which will come into force during 2004 will result in:
           » about 200 wastes being classified as hazardous wastes 
           » 750,000 new hazardous waste producers
           » reduction in landfills taking waste from >1,000 to approximately 10.

Renewable energy

• Over 50% of renewable energy is generated from waste - either through landfill gas or energy from waste facilities.
• 28% of renewable energy in the UK comes from landfill gas.
• 23% comes from energy from waste facilities - generating the equivalent of 726,000 tonnes of oil.