Commercial and Industrial (C&I) Waste
The definitions of Commercial and Industrial Waste stem from the Envrionmental Protection Act 1990. Measurement of these wastes, however, are not strightforward as:
- waste data is collected based on EWC and STAT codes
- data is consolidated based on economic classification and
- C&I waste data reporting includes adjustments for water in sludges and for tonnages handled through sites exempt from environmental permitting.
Industrial Waste
Industrial Waste means [2] any waste from:
- any factory premises
- premises used for the provision of transport services
- premises used for the provision of gas, water, electricity or seawage services
- premises used for the purposes of postal or telecommunications services
- any mine or quarry premises
Commercial Waste
Commercial Waste means [2] waste from premises used wholly or mainly for the purposes of a trade or business or the purposes of sport, recreation or entertainment excluding household and industrial waste.
Commercial and Industrial Waste Generation (million tonnes)
Notes
- The DEFRA statistics[1] do not consolidate C&I Waste for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland for the years 2011; 2013; 2015; 2017; 2019; 2021; 2022; 2023
- The limiations on the data is noted in the DEFRA statistics[1] and in WikiWaste's Data Sources and Limitations
Overlapping Definitions
Other definitions and data reporting have emerged that create some confusion around the above stautory definitions (read greater detail here):
- Municipal Waste - was previously used in the UK in policy and national data to refer to waste collected by local authorities, which included waste from households and businesses. This was revised to household waste and waste of a similar nature/composition - which broadly includes household and most commercial waste
- LACW - Local Authority Collected Waste is primarily household and a limited amount of business/commercial waste
- NHM - Non-Household Municipal waste, broadly synonymous with Commercial Waste
Recycling Targets and Performance
The level of recycling of C&I waste is also not entirely known, with estimates varying between 30% and 50% of that generated. These uncertainties make the planning and development of Treatment and Disposal infrastructure in the UK for this waste extremely difficult to estimate with confidence.
