Organic Waste
Organic Waste is generally reported to comprise Garden Waste and Food Waste and arisings total around 23,000,000 tonnes per year. It generally excludes Agricultural Waste (including manures and slurries which total around 90,000,000 tonnes per year) and Sewage Sludge (which totals around 2,000,000 tonnes per year)[1].
Overview
Organic waste is waste that is biodegradable, generally reported as Garden Waste and Food Waste. Whilst other wastes have an organic and/or biological content (such as Sewage Sludge and Agricultural Waste manures and slurries) they are separately reported.
Anaerobic Digestion and Composting (either Windrow Composting or In-vessel Composting) are the treatment methods for dealing with organic waste, and are key to diverting waste from landfill and producing renewable energy and sustainable fertilisers.
Macro Tonnage
The most recent information published by DEFRA [2] is based on 2016 data, with WRAP data for Food Waste from 2018[3] and organic waste generally from 2008[1]. The macro numbers under-report the total organic waste arisings in the UK as a whole as they exclude:
- Organic Waste which is within general mixed waste (i.e. DEFRA only report segregated materials)
- A large proportion of Agricultural Waste which is Food Waste (and hence Organic Waste) which is not reported (i.e. reject crops or crop wastage that is ploughed back into fields)
- Other organic waste streams that are separately recorded (i.e. Sewage Sludge and Agricultural Waste manures and slurries)
WRAP Figures
WRAP in their organics report (dated 2008)[1] reported the following total arisings:
| Organic Waste | MSW Arisings (Tonnes) | C&I Waste Arisings (Tonnes) | Total Arisings (Tonnes) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food Waste | 6,100,000 | 5,700,000 | 11,800,00001 |
| Garden Waste | 6,400,000 | 4,200.000 | 10,600,000 |
| Other | 0 | 2,600,000 | 2,600,000 |
| Total | 12,500,0002 | 12,500,000 | 25,000,000 |
- The table is superseded by the figure below, showing the reviewed position of WRAP for Food Waste at 9,500,000 tonnes in 2018 (a reduction of around 2,300,000 tonnes) taking the total organic waste arisings to around 23,000,000 tonnes.
- Within the report WRAP indicated that 3,612,000 tonnes of the total arisings shown was collected, the majority of which was Garden Waste. Food Waste collection has increased since that time to around treble that reported as collected (c. 780,000 tonnes) and an increase in composting at the home (c. 530,000 tonnes). This has resulted in WRAP now reporting 1,300,000 tonnes of collected Food Waste. With Garden Waste reasonably static this means the 3,612,000 tonnes has increased to around 4,600,000 tonnes.
As noted above, WRAP in their most recent report [3]identify around 9,500,000 tonnes of Food Waste, of which 6,600,000 tonnes was from household sources with the following graphic summarising their findings and further explained on the Food Waste page:
DEFRA Figures
As set out above, the DEFRA macro numbers only report segregated organic waste and identifies three categories of wastes:
| Reported by DEFRA as Generated in 2016 | Tonnes |
|---|---|
| Animal & Mixed Food Waste | 3,056,065 |
| Vegetable Wastes | 6,019,100 |
| Animal Faeces, Urine & Manure | 114,422 |
| Total | 9,189,587 |
The categories are split into six potential sources, as are all the DEFRA figures, summarised in the pie charts and data tables below:
| Vegetable Wastes | Animal & Mixed Food Waste | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Data Table | Data Table | ||
| Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing (AFF) | 11,129 | Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing (AFF) | 31,846 |
| Mining and Quarrying (MQ) | 1,241 | Mining and Quarrying (MQ) | 416 |
| Industrial (Ind) | 1,333,996 | Industrial (Ind) | 1,657,269 |
| Construction (Con) | 7,341 | Construction (Con) | 93 |
| Commercial (Com) | 266,771 | Commercial (Com) | 805,211 |
| Household (HH) | 4,398,621 | Household (HH) | 561,230 |
From the information above, 4,959,851 tonnes is reported as household (54% of the total) and slightly more than the estimated figure of 4,600,000 tonnes above (mainly as a result of Garden Waste assumptions). The tonnage reported as C&I Waste of 4,063,247 tonnes (45% of the total) will be predominantly Food Waste, with only incidental other tonnage captured from other sources. This tonnage is higher than WRAP figures.
WasteDataFlow Figures
The tonnage reported through WasteDataFlow by the Waste Collection Authorities and Waste Disposal Authorities for England and Wales are set out in the sections below for each Collection System Design for Garden Waste and Food Waste. The tonnage reported is for the 2017/18 financial year and is summarised as follows (and screens out those reporting below the de-minimus figures set out in each section for simplicity):
| Collection Method | Tonnes |
|---|---|
| Green garden Waste Only | 286,161 |
| Mixed garden and Food Waste | 310,815 |
| Other Compostable Waste | 63,642 |
| Waste food Only | 157,30 |
| Total | 818,148 |
Green garden Waste Only
Below is a list of local authorities that send greater than 20,000 tonnes of Green Waste to a single waste operator as part of a Collection System Design that is termed Green Separate in the arrangements section of WikiWaste, and which can be on a variety of different frequencies and can be Green Charged or Green Not Charged:
| Authority | Stream | Facility | Operator | Address | Material | Tonnes | Reporting Period |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cheshire West and Chester | Green waste | Windrow or other composting | George Whittaker And Sons ( Knutsford) Ltd | Bypass Road, Hapsford, Cheshire | Green garden waste only | 30,518.36 | Apr21 - Mar22 |
| Wiltshire | Green waste | Windrow or other composting | Hills Waste Solutions Limited | Parkgate Farm, New Road, Purton, Wiltshire | Green garden waste only | 29,908.72 | Apr21 - Mar22 |
| Leeds City Council MBC | Green waste | Windrow or other composting | Biffa Waste Services Ltd | Skelton Grange Landfill Site, Pontefract Lane, Newsam Green, West Yorkshire | Green garden waste only | 28,340.51 | Apr21 - Mar22 |
| Dorset Council | Green waste | Windrow or other composting | Eco Sustainable Solutions Ltd | Chapel Lane, Parley, Christchurch, Dorset | Green garden waste only | 25,048.32 | Apr21 - Mar22 |
| Birmingham City Council | Green waste | Windrow or other composting | Berkswell Recycling Limited, Berkswell Quarry | Berkswell Quarry, Cornets End Lane, Meriden, West Midlands | Green garden waste only | 24,355.67 | Apr21 - Mar22 |
| Edinburgh, City of | Green waste | Windrow or other composting | Not Available | Not Available | Green garden waste only | 24,210.47 | Jan21 - Dec21 |
| Doncaster MBC | Green waste | Windrow or other composting | Yorkshire Aggregates Quarrying Ltd | Wroot Road Quarry, Wroot Road, Finningley, Doncaster, South Yorkshire | Green garden waste only | 23,337.40 | Apr21 - Mar22 |
| Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council | Green waste | Windrow or other composting | Eco Sustainable Solutions Ltd | Chapel Lane, Parley, Christchurch, Dorset | Green garden waste only | 22,810.33 | Apr21 - Mar22 |
| Somerset Waste Partnership | Green waste | Windrow or other composting | Viridor Waste (Somerset) Ltd | Walpole Landfill Site, Pawlett, Bridgwater, Somerset | Green garden waste only | 22,432.89 | Apr21 - Mar22 |
| Cornwall | Green waste | Windrow or other composting | Downs Farm Ltd | Higher Brynn Farm, Roche, Cornwall | Green garden waste only | 22,023.83 | Apr21 - Mar22 |
| South Gloucestershire Council | Green waste | Windrow or other composting | Mitchell Simon | Phoenix Green Solutions, Mays Hill Industrial Estate, Frampton Cotterell, Bristol, South Gloucester | Green garden waste only | 20,462.53 | Apr21 - Mar22 |
Mixed garden and Food Waste
Below is a list of local authorities that sends more than 30,000 tonnes of Green Waste mixed with Food Waste to a single waste operator as part of a Collection System Design that is termed Green Comingled or Food Comingled in the arrangements section of WikiWaste.
| Authority | Stream | Facility | Operator | Address | Material | Tonnes | Reporting Period |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cheshire East | Mixed green and food waste | In vessel composting | Biowise Limited | Leighton Grange FARM, Middlewich Road, Leighton, Cheshire East, | Mixed garden and food waste | 53,228.92 | Apr21 - Mar22 |
| East Riding of Yorkshire Council | Mixed green and food waste | In vessel composting | Biowise Ltd | Biowise Composting Facility, Albion Lane Site, Albion Lane, Willerby, East Yorkshire | Mixed garden and food waste | 41,452.23 | Apr21 - Mar22 |
| Fife | Mixed green and food waste | Anaerobic or Aerobic Digestion Segregated | Not Available | Not Available | Mixed garden and food waste | 38,664.18 | Jan21 - Dec21 |
| Stockport MBC | Mixed green and food waste | In vessel composting | SUEZ Recycling and Recovery UK Ltd | Bredbury Park Way, Bredbury Park Industrial Estate, Bredbury, Stockport | Mixed garden and food waste | 35,537.10 | Apr21 - Mar22 |
| Shropshire | Mixed green and food waste | In vessel composting | Agripost Ltd | Lower House, Cardeston, Ford, Shrewsbury, Shropshire | Mixed garden and food waste | 32,617.08 | Apr21 - Mar22 |
| Cambridge City and South Cambs Councils | Mixed green and food waste | In vessel composting | Amey Cespa ( East ) Ltd | Waterbeach Waste Management Park, Ely Road, Waterbeach, Cambridgeshire | Mixed garden and food waste | 30,058.21 | Apr21 - Mar22 |
Other Compostable Waste
Below is a list of local authorities that sends more than 5,000 tonnes of this material to a single waste operator.
| Authority | Stream | Facility | Operator | Address | Material | Tonnes | Reporting Period |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fife | Mixed green and food waste | Anaerobic or Aerobic Digestion Segregated | Not Available | Not Available | Other compostable waste | 38,664.18 | Jan21 - Dec21 |
| Aberdeenshire | Mixed green and food waste | In vessel composting | Not Available | Not Available | Other compostable waste | 10,075.66 | Jan21 - Dec21 |
| Stockport MBC | Mixed green and food waste | In vessel composting | SUEZ Recycling and Recovery UK Ltd | Bredbury Park Way, Bredbury Park Industrial Estate, Bredbury, Stockport | Other compostable waste | 7,260.60 | Apr21 - Mar22 |
Waste food Only
Below is a list of local authorities that sends more than 10,000 tonnes of Food Waste to a single waste operator as part of a Collection System Design that is termed Food Separate in the arrangements section of WikiWaste.
| Authority | Stream | Facility | Operator | Address | Material | Tonnes | Reporting Period |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Somerset Waste Partnership | Food waste | Anaerobic or Aerobic Digestion Segregated | Cannington Enterprises Ltd | Mobile Plant | Waste food only | 23,575.29 | Apr21 - Mar22 |
| Cardiff County Council | Food waste | Anaerobic or Aerobic Digestion Segregated | Other/Exempt | WELSH WATERTremorfa Anaerobic Digestion FacilityTide Fields RoadTremorfaCardiffCF24 5SBPermit numberEPR/AB3093CA | Waste food only | 17,478.56 | Apr21 - Mar22 |
| Bristol City Council | Food waste | Anaerobic or Aerobic Digestion Segregated | Wessex Water Services Ltd | Bristol Waste Water Treatment, Kings Weston Lane, Avon | Waste food only | 16,153.76 | Apr21 - Mar22 |
| Dorset Council | Food waste | Anaerobic or Aerobic Digestion Segregated | Eco Sustainable Solutions Ltd | Bourne Park, Piddleshinton, Dorchester, Dorset | Waste food only | 15,686.27 | Apr21 - Mar22 |
| City and County of Swansea | Food waste | Anaerobic or Aerobic Digestion Segregated | Other/Exempt | STORMY DOWNBRIDGEND | Waste food only | 14,695.17 | Apr21 - Mar22 |
| Buckinghamshire Council | Food waste | Anaerobic or Aerobic Digestion Segregated | Olleco | Westcottt Biogas Generation Plant, , Westcott Venture Park, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, | Waste food only | 13,730.53 | Apr21 - Mar22 |
| Rhondda Cynon Taff CBC | Food waste | Anaerobic or Aerobic Digestion Segregated | Other/Exempt | Biogen AD Facility, Bryn Pica landfill Site, Merthyr Road, Llwydcoed, Aberdare, CF44 0BX. | Waste food only | 12,306.52 | Apr21 - Mar22 |
| Edinburgh, City of | Food waste | Anaerobic or Aerobic Digestion Segregated | Not Available | Not Available | Waste food only | 10,594.83 | Jan21 - Dec21 |
| Cheshire West and Chester | Food waste | Anaerobic or Aerobic Digestion Segregated | Severn Trent Green Power Limited, Coleshill Food Waste Anaerobic Digestion Plant | Coleshill Food Waste Anaerobic Digestion Plant, Coleshill Sewage Treatment Works, Marconi Way, Warwickshire | Waste food only | 10,578.66 | Apr21 - Mar22 |