Meeting documents
HCW/15/50
Devon Authorities Waste Reduction and Recycling Committee
20 July 2015
Recycling Statistics - 2014/15
Report of the Head of Highways, Capital Development and Waste
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Recommendation: It is recommended that:
(a) the Committee note the combined performance of Devon authorities in achieving their highest recycling rate to date.
(b) the Committee continue to support schemes which continue to move waste up the waste hierarchy (3Rs) whilst considering the implications of such decisions on the amount of waste generated overall and subsequent collection, treatment and disposal costs.
1. Summary
This report provides members with an overview of Devon authorities' recycling performance for 2014/15.
2. 2014/15 Headline Statistics
Household Waste
| Headline Statistics | 2014/15 |
| Recycling Rate Devon | 55.4% (+0.6%) |
| Household Waste Growth (Devon) | +1.6% |
| Recycling Rate - Torbay | 42.0% (+0.6%) |
| Household Waste Growth (Torbay) | -1.4% |
| Highest Performing WCA | West Devon (56.5%) |
In 2014/15, Devon achieved its highest recycling rate to date at 55.4%. This increase is a welcome return to recycling growth measured through National Indicator 192 (NI192). This indicator monitors household waste recycled and reused. Increases to recycling rates are noted for the majority of Waste Collection Authorities (WCAs) and Recycling Centres.
West Devon achieved the highest WCA recycling rate for the fourth consecutive year at 56.5%. Despite this success, this performance is below the authority's highest recycling rate (59.9%) achieved in 2011/12.
Total household waste arisings (Devon) increased by 1.6% against the partnership 'Waste and Resource Management Strategy' projection of 0.25%.
Total WCA household waste increased by 0.6% compared to 0.8% the previous year and whilst Recycling Centres experienced more significant growth at 4.7%, this was marginally down from 6.3% in 2013/14. Over the past three years, Recycling Centre's household waste has increased by ~5% annually following the significant reduction in throughput following the introduction of the chargeable waste policy in 2011 (-18%).
Torbay increased its recycling rate to 42.0%, however this is 2.7% below the authority's highest rate achieved in 2012/13 at 44.7%. Torbay's kerbside and bank schemes collected less waste than the previous year (-3.9%), but the authorities Recycling Centre waste increased by 9.2%.
Local Authority Collected Waste (LACW)
LACW consists of household waste and any non-household waste collected by authorities i.e. trade waste. Devon's LACW increased by 2.0%, comprising household (+1.6%) and non-household (+9.3%). The most significant gains for non-household waste included a 5.3% increase in WCA trade waste and a 5.2% increase in chargeable soil and rubble through Devon's Recycling Centres. Improved classification and reporting of trade waste is thought to have contributed to these trade increases following the implementation of the Controlled Waste Regulations policy (DCC Cabinet report HCW/13/63).
Incinerator bottom ash (recovery) is a new fraction of reported non-household recycled waste via the DAWRRC statistics. In 2014/15 686 tonnes of metal was recovered and recycled from the Exeter Energy Recovery Facility (ERF) process.
3. Summary of 2014/15 Performance
Table 1 shows recycling performance for DAWRRC authorities comprising WCAs, Devon and Torbay. With the exception of the highest performing WCA (West Devon) and Exeter, all other authorities show an increase in recycling performance ranging between 0.1% (Teignbridge) and 1.5% (East and Mid Devon).
Table 1 NI192 2014/15
| NI192 (Recycling Rate) | 2014/15 | Change from previous year |
| East Devon | 46.2% | + 1.5% |
| Exeter | 33.8% | - 0.9% |
| Mid Devon | 48.2% | + 1.5% |
| North Devon | 44.2% | + 0.2% |
| South Hams | 53.4% | + 0.2% |
| Teignbridge | 53.7% | + 0.1% |
| Torridge | 45.0% | + 0.8% |
| West Devon | 56.5% | - 1.4% |
| DEVON | 55.8% | + 0.9% |
| TORBAY | 42.0% | + 0.6% |
Devon's recycling performance has been boosted principally through increased collections of organic waste, plastic and 'other' materials through kerbside and Recycling Centres. Recycling Centres 'recycled' waste increased by 3,500 tonnes with WCA collections contributing a further 1,500 tonnes.
Organic waste continues to form a significant element of Devon's recycling rate representing 49% of the total amount recycled last year compared to 35% for Torbay. Almost 100,000 tonnes of Devon's green waste were diverted for composting with WCA collections forming the majority through kerbside collections of food and garden waste and leaf sweepings. In 2014/15 over 6,000 tonnes of organic sweepings were diverted for composting representing a 450 tonne increase over the previous year. Diverting organic sweepings which are suitable for composting away from landfill delivers both economic and environmental benefits.
Recycling Centres organic waste increased by 11% (2,700 tonnes) with over 28,000 tonnes processed through Devon's 19 sites last year. In Torbay, Recycling Centre organic waste throughput increased by 370 tonnes (+7%). Figure 1 tracks the profile of organic waste composted for Devon's WCAs, Recycling Centres and third parties.
Figure 1 Organic Waste (Devon)
Figure 1 indicates that Recycling Centre organic waste has remained relatively stable over this extended timeframe. Conversely, WCA organic waste has increased significantly from 2004/05 due to the implementation of kerbside organic waste collection schemes and increase in composted leaf sweepings. Both Recycling Centres and WCA organic waste show a return to growth last year following a period of stabilisation since 2010/11.
In 2014/15, over 5,800 tonnes of plastic was recycled, principally through WCA schemes. Figure 2 illustrates these ongoing improvements to WCA kerbside plastic in particular, which now represents ~75% of the total plastic collected and recycled. Exeter recovered the greatest amount of mixed plastic via kerbside schemes at 1,487 tonnes, an increase of 250 tonnes on 2013/14. Teignbridge's 29 mixed plastic banks also remain popular recovering 187 tonnes of material last year. Devon's Recycling Centres recovered 1,137 of plastic comprising 288 tonnes of plastic bottles and 848 tonnes of hard and bulky plastics. For the latter, recovery reduced by 260 tonnes last year due to changes to input specification from reprocessors and resulting restrictions on the types collected for recycling through sites denoted by the dip in performance last year.
Figure 2 Plastic Recycling (Devon)
'Other' categories refer to the myriad of other recycling material options offered by Devon authorities. For Recycling Centres, wood (18,000 tonnes), metal (5,200 tonnes) and carpets (2,200 tonnes) all contribute significantly to this category. For WCAs, tins and cans forms the most significant element of this kerbside category at 3,400 tonnes.
Waste Electronic and Electrical Equipment (WEEE) is now presented as a separate category on the DAWRRC summary in recognition of its growing significance within the waste stream. In 2014/15, over 7,700 tonnes of WEEE was recycled predominantly through Recycling Centres although this shows a 200 tonne reduction on the previous year due to fewer TVs and monitors recycled through these sites.
Changes to the Reuse Credit Scheme from 2015/16 means that reuse credits are no longer paid for WEEE with the obligation for recycling falling on manufactures through the WEEE Directive. The zero tonnage noted for 2014/15 for this category is due to the method of reporting where reused furniture and white goods (WEEE) are combined and included in 'other' third party tonnage.
NI193 measures the amount of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) (now referred to as LACW) landfilled. This indicator was a principal indicator for measuring progress against Landfill Directive targets and for the first time, Devon authorities have shown a significant reduction in waste landfilled to 70.7% following the commissioning of Exeter ERF.
In 2014/15, over 50,000 tonnes of waste was diverted from landfill through the Exeter ERF which generated and exported approximately 3MWh per hour of operation to the National Grid. The ERF process significantly reduces waste by around 75% with incinerator bottom ash (IBA) accounting for the majority of the remaining process residue. In addition to energy, the facility also recovers ferrous metals as an element of IBA and last year 686 tonnes was recovered and recycled. During 2014/15, the remaining IBA and Air Pollution Control (APC) cleaning residues were disposed of to landfill. From 2015/16, APC residues will be recycled through an innovative process to produce building blocks and work is also underway to identify a local reprocessor for the remaining IBA residue. During 2015/16, NI193 performance will continue to improve through the combined diversion of waste through the Exeter facility and the recently commissioned Plymouth ERF.
Increased waste leads to increased collection and treatment costs so waste growth is of principal concern to authorities at a time when local authority finances are under acute pressure. Figure 3 illustrates Devon's actual and projected household waste growth and whilst there is a general trend for reducing waste, wide fluctuations in waste growth rates do occur affected by a broad range of factors.
Figure 3 Actual Vs Projected Household waste Growth
Officially, waste generation per head is measured through best Value Performance Indicator 84a (BVPI84a). Figure 4 compares DAWRRC authorities for NI192 and BVPI84a using indicative data. DAWRRC BVPI84a data includes reuse tonnage which is excluded from official published data and therefore demonstrates a marginally inflated position compared to official statistics. BVPI84a offers a useful comparative assessment of waste generation levels per head where variance between neighbouring authorities may reflect influential operational factors such as residual waste or organic waste policies.
Figure 4 BVPI84a Vs NI192
Figure 4 demonstrates that high recycling (NI192) does not necessarily lead to high levels of waste generation (BVPI84a) with West Devon generating the third lowest amount of waste per head whilst achieving the highest recycling rate. East Devon continues to perform well with this indicator generating the least amount of waste per head for DAWRRC authorities and in 2013/14, was the third lowest waste generating WCA in England.
Official published performance will be presented to the autumn committee and this will include an overview of National data.
4. Consultations/Representations/Technical Data
Data is sourced from individual WCA 'Statistics, Payments and Recharge' returns through Waste Data Flow and directly from WDAs. It is compiled by the County Council working in partnership with the WCAs and Torbay.
5. Financial Considerations
Managing waste toward the top of the waste hierarchy and improving reuse and recycling ensures that all waste is managed in the most cost effective manner.
Failure to report data in accordance with the requirements of the Waste and Emissions Trading Act could lead to penalties being applied by DEFRA.
6. Sustainability Considerations
Monitoring performance enables authorities to assess current services and develop longer term planning to improve performance. The EU Waste Framework Directive places an obligation on authorities to manage waste in accordance with the Waste Hierarchy in addition to economic and environmental reasons to manage waste in a more sustainable way. Diverting waste away from landfill to produce energy also reduces the carbon impact.
7. Carbon Impact Considerations
Disposal of waste to landfill in particular, represents a waste of energy and resources, and contributes toward methane emissions. Recycling and composting schemes can contribute toward reducing carbon emissions globally through the use of recycled materials, and diverting organic waste from landfill. Diversion of waste to ERFs for heat and power generation also reduces the carbon impacts of managing waste.
8. Equality Considerations
There are no equality considerations associated with this report.
9. Legal Considerations
The Waste and Emissions Trading Act places a legal obligation on Waste Disposal Authorities to keep records and make waste data returns to the Environment Agency through Waste Data Flow.
10. Risk Management Considerations
Accurate and timely data ensures that risks associated with proposals or schemes are identified and mitigated.
11. Public Health Impact
Effective management of waste reduces the negative implications for public health. Accurate data ensures that baseline data reliably informs future forecasting to ensure that systems, processes and facilities are appropriate and fit for purpose.
David Whitton
Head of Highways, Capital Development and Waste
Electoral Divisions: All
Local Government Act 1972: List of Background Papers
Contact for enquiries: Iain Stevens
Room No. Matford Offices, County Hall, Exeter. EX2 4QD
Tel No: (01392) 383000
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