Waste Audit - Executive Summary

Viridis was commissioned by Staffordshire Environmental Fund (SEF) to undertake a waste audit of the sub-region of Staffordshire and Stoke-on Trent, to determine approximate quantities of waste arising and whether, through the introduction of new businesses or technologies, significant volumes of these wastes could be diverted from landfill. The work was undertaken in collaboration with TRL Ltd. 

The report is presented in two parts. Part I represents the original audit scope and findings for the sub-region of Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent. Part II represents an extension to study that extends the geographical coverage to include wastes that could be processed within Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent but which arise in adjoining areas.

The scope of work described below constitutes the initial phase of a planned three-phase project, the ultimate goal of which will be to develop economically viable waste management business ventures in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent. 

PART I

This one-year project involves the execution of an audit of controlled wastes in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent to determine approximate information about material sources, quantities and current locations. This report is the outcome of the project and aims to:

·         Review current information and identify potentially recyclable controlled wastes in Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent

·         Provide information relating to industrial and commercial controlled wastes including producing sectors and the possible locations of waste clusters

·         Identify proven waste management and recycling related schemes and industries in the UK and elsewhere

·         Identify potential business opportunities for new reprocessing activities that would lead to an increase in reprocessing in the sub-region, and make recommendations

In agreement with the Advisory Group, set up by Viridis to provide guidance on project objectives, the project did not undertake an in-depth analysis of Special Waste and non-controlled waste such as agricultural, mining and quarrying waste. The study focused mainly on Industrial and Commercial waste (I&C), Municipal Solid Waste (MSW), and Construction & Demolition (C&D) waste generation.  This was because there were limited data available on uncontrolled waste and there were thought to be more reprocessing business opportunities available for the controlled wastes identified.

A number of different sources and methods of data collection and analysis were required to undertake a comprehensive audit of the sub-region. The Environment Agency, Office of National Statistics, Associates in Industrial Ecology, Financial Analysis Made Easy, County and City Councils, Building Research Establishment, Linden Consulting, reprocessors, trade associations and industry all contributed data.

Total controlled waste arising within the sub-region is classified according to four categories, MSW, I&C, C&D and Special Waste (although this was not broken down into sub-categories).  Different sources of data were identified for the compositional breakdown of these categories. These are shown in the table overleaf.

Complete data were not available on controlled waste arisings and reprocessing for the sub-region. A number of broad assumptions and factorings were made to generate the data. This provided the best estimate from the available sources of information.

Data Sources

MSW  

Analysis of County and City Council waste and compositional data from research undertaken by Associates in Industrial Ecology (AiIE). This methodology used actual sub-region totals and applied a compositional percentage breakdown of MSW identified by AiIE.

I&C

Analysis of Strategic Waste Management Assessment 2000: West Midlands (SWMA), the National Waste Production Survey (NWPS), Environment Agency Waste Benchmarking Website, Office of National Statistics (ONS) data and Financial Analysis Made Easy (FAME) data.

The industrial and commercial sources of the waste streams and the locations of the enterprises generating them were identified using the following methodology:

·         The Environment Agency’s SWMA report classified the Industrial and Commercial Sector into 32 Standard Industrial Code 92 (SIC) sectors.

·         SWMA data provided total waste produced for each of these 32 SIC sectors.

·         Data on the Environment Agency’s Waste Benchmarking Website was manipulated to provide a breakdown of each of the SIC sectors’ waste totals into the contributory waste stream totals by UK Waste Classification System. (UK waste classification was used because it was the classification system employed by the Environment Agency to gather the data set in 1998).

·         The FAME database was used to provide the location distribution data for the SIC groupings by postcode outs (first set of letters and figures e.g. BB2).

·         MAPINFO was then used to plot their location within the sub-region by postcode outs.

This methodology used actual sub-region totals and applied compositional percentage breakdowns calculated from Environment Agency national I&C waste benchmarking data.

The waste analysis methodology, allowed the identification of the recyclable waste streams for Industrial and Commercial wastes and the relevant SIC groupings producing them.

C&D

Analysis of Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) C&D waste survey data, using ONS population data to ratio regional figures to sub-region. C&D percentage composition, calculated from BRE information, was then applied to the sub-region waste total. This methodology used actual West Midlands’ region totals that were factored down to the sub-region.

Special Waste

The Environment Agency provided sub-region data on the main waste streams by European Waste Code Descriptions. This data was not broken down further.

 


 

These techniques produced the following composition of waste shown below. Data were not available on waste totals and composition, number of people and businesses and location for any one year. Therefore, available data were used from 1998-2002 to compile a picture of controlled waste in the sub-region. Wherever possible the most recent data available have been used to complete this audit.

Estimated total waste generated for Staffordshire including Stoke-on-Trent

Waste Type

Tonnes

(year)

Municipal Solid Waste

619,507

(2002/03)

Industrial and Commercial Waste

1,630,000

(1998/2002)

Construction and Demolition

1,707,552

(2001)

Agricultural Waste

1,923,165

(1998)

Special Waste

93,444

(2001)

Total Waste

5,973,668

 

 

The different waste analysis methods made it possible to provide the estimated composition of each of the waste types listed and these are shown in the following tables.

Composition of MSW in the sub-region (2002/03)

MSW component

%

Tonnes

Garden waste

20.46

126,751

Paper and board

15.76

97,634

Kitchen waste

9.39

58,172

Non-compostable kitchen waste

7.78

48,198

Glass

6.84

42,374

Miscellaneous non-combustibles

5.05

31,285

Scrap metal/white goods

4.50

27,878

Wood

4.15

25,710

Dense plastic

3.95

24,471

Soil & other organics

3.48

21,559

Plastic film

3.13

19,391

Fines

3.05

18,895

Textiles

2.92

18,090

Miscellaneous combustibles

2.84

17,594

Non-recyclable paper

2.72

16,851

Metal cans + foil

2.60

16,107

Furniture

1.27

7,868

Batteries

0.05

310

Engine oil

0.03

186

Other non-ferrous

0.02

124

Total

100.00

619,507

 

The MSW estimates were derived using County and City Council total waste arisings and applying AiIE compositional data.

 

Estimates for I&C waste were made using SWMA waste totals for SIC sectors and applying Environment Agency compositional data from the Environment Agency waste benchmarking website.  Composition data is not provided for the total I&C waste generation (1,630,000 tonnes). Each SIC sector generating less than 1% of the total was not broken down further due to time constraints on the project. Therefore compositional breakdown was only provided for 1,518,433 tonnes generated by the 21 largest waste producing SIC sectors.   

Composition of I&C waste in the sub-region (1998/2002)

Waste Type

Tonnes

Waste Type

Tonnes

Paper and/or card 

250,800

Alloys 

2,905

Ceramics 

97,794

Blast furnace slag 

2,892

Commercial waste - no composition

87,027

Excreta 

2,886

Used moulds and/or moulds containing organic binders 

83,881

Cable and/or wire 

2,423

Plasterboard 

77,985

Electronic equipment 

2,253

Plastics and polymers 

70,711

Water with mixed contaminants 

2,176

Not cleanable contaminated containers, and other packaging 

66,601

Other inorganic compounds 

2,057

Mixed construction and demolition waste 

60,506

Clay absorbents 

2,004

Steel 

56,828

Household, and/or similar commercial and/or industrial waste 

1,996

Mixed ferrous and non-ferrous metal 

52,705

Treated sewage sludge 

1,985

Iron 

47,644

Light bulbs 

1,742

Waste food - animal or mixed 

45,929

Bottom ash from coal and/or wood combustion 

1,424

Sawdust, shavings and/or wood pulp 

39,870

Organic household products not elsewhere specified 

1,183

Wood 

28,208

Street sweepings and litter 

1,153

Vegetable food 

27,297

Used linings and/or refractories 

1,098

Drilling muds 

26,499

Plaster  

1,093

Residues of fermentation and other similar microbiological production processes 

25,162

Dressings 

1,047

Coated or chemically treated timber 

24,057

Concrete and/or mortar 

1,039

Household waste 

19,887

Copper 

843

Oil sludges and/or oil water mixtures

19,872

Mixed/unidentified oil 

810

Cleanable contaminated containers, and other packaging 

19,526

Aliphatic hydrocarbon 

810

Whole and/or part animals 

18,725

Civic amenity waste 

714

Mixtures of vegetation, soil and/or stones 

18,505

Grinding residues 

666

Composites 

17,500

Fly ash and fly ash sludges from coal or wood combustion  

634

Tyres 

16,242

Calcium sulphate 

589

Animal fats, oils, waxes and/or grease 

15,925

Wastes from biological treatment of effluents

506

Aluminium 

13,504

Contaminated vegetable and/or animal matter 

463

Glass 

13,409

Machining/cutting/cooling oils 

452

Mixed ferrous metal 

13,345

Lubricating and/or fuel oil 

434

Untreated sewage sludge 

11,437

Non-specific plastic waste 

387

Other composite, mainly metallic equipment 

10,765

Rock and stone 

386

General industrial waste n/o/s 

10,026

Sharps 

384

Industrial waste - no composition 

9,403

Abrasives 

344

Vegetable oils, fats, waxes and/or grease 

8,331

Undrained lead-acid batteries 

333

Contaminated granular/friable subsoils 

7,073

Synthetic textiles 

322

Sanitary wastes 

5,517

Zinc 

321

Vegetation and/or vegetable waste 

5,512

Contaminated construction and/or demolition waste 

316

Rubber 

5,477

Mixed chemical smalls 

263

Contaminated category 22.04.00 – 22.09.00 wastes 

4,876

Other organic chemical wastes 

246

Vehicles and/or metal vehicle parts 

4,863

Detergents and/or surfactants 

227

Healthcare risk waste 

4,807

Uncontaminated topsoil 

205

Asphalt, bitumen and/or coated roadstone 

3,960

Aqueous paint 

196

Flue dust 

3,871

Aluminium dross 

186

Sub-soils 

3,674

Solvent- or oil- based paint 

157

Mixed/unknown non-ferrous metal 

3,572

White goods 

149

Infectious waste

3,507

Animal fibres 

148

Sewage 

3,222

Laminates 

131

Vegetable fibres 

3,219

Man-made mineral fibres (MMMFs) 

108

Autoclaved waste 

3,057

Other waste streams (under 100 tonnes each)

1,250

 

 

Total composition

1,518,443

 

Total including 11 sectors producing under 19,000 tonnes per annum

1,630,000

         

Construction and Demolition waste composition (2001)

Waste Type

%

Tonnes

Excavation waste

42.8

730,832

Demolition waste

42.8

730,832

Construction waste

14.4

245,887

C&D total waste

100

1,707,552

 

Estimates for C&D waste were made using Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) data and ONS population data to ratio regional figures to sub-region. C&D waste percentage composition, calculated from BRE information, was then applied to the sub-region waste total to provide the two tables below. No further breakdown of excavation waste was available. Excavation waste mainly consists of soil, clay and mixed C&D waste which is often used on site for landscaping, landfill engineering/restoration or as backfill of quarry voids.

Demolition waste composition (2001)

Demolition waste composition

%

Tonnes

Concrete

40

292,333

Masonry

24

175,400

Paper, cardboard, plastic and other

17

124,241

Asphalt

15

109,625

Wood based

3

21,925

Other

1

7,308

Total

100

730,832

 

Construction waste composition (2001)

Construction waste composition

%

Tonnes

Timber

19

46,719

Concrete

6

14,753

Inert

11

27,048

Ceramic

3

7,377

Insulation

3

7,377

Plastic

13

31,965

Packaging

25

61,472

Metal

3

7,377

Plaster & cement

3

7,377

Miscellaneous

14

34,424

Total

100

245,887

 

Agricultural waste composition (1998)

Waste Type

Tonnes

%

Compostable and Digestible