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Plastic pollution in our oceans has reached critical levels, posing severe threats to marine biodiversity, human health, and the ecological integrity of both coastal and deep-sea ecosystems. With millions of tonnes of plastic entering marine environments each year, the urgency to act has never been greater. This escalating crisis not only endangers marine species but also disrupts food chains, impacts coastal economies, and introduces microplastics into the very resources we rely on for our seafood, salt, and drinking water.

This webinar brings together a diverse panel of experts, including college students, environmental scientists, innovators, policy advocates, and community leaders, to explore holistic and actionable solutions to marine plastic pollution. Together, we will unpack the science behind plastic waste pathways and long-term ecological impacts, highlight cutting-edge technologies such as biodegradable alternatives and AI-driven ocean clean-up tools, and examine the potential of circular economy models in reducing plastic dependency. Crucially, the session will also focus on the power of grassroots action, youth engagement, and behavioural change in building a culture of sustainability.

Speaker Sessions

Marine Plastic Pathways and Microplastic Risks to Human Health

Mr Sourabh Manuja, Co-founder, Global Green Envirosystems

Mr Sourabh Manuja, Co-founder, Global Green Envirosystems Innovations and Circular Economy Solutions to Plastic Pollution

Dr Vidya Batra, Senior Fellow, Circular Economy & Waste Management Division, TERI

Dr Vidya Batra, Senior Fellow, Circular Economy & Waste Management Division, TERI Grassroots Action and Behavioral Change for a Plastic-Free Future

Dr PK Bhattacharya, Associate Director, Senior Fellow TERI & Coordinator TERI EIACP

Dr PK Bhattacharya, Associate Director, Senior Fellow TERI & Coordinator TERI EIACP Tackling Marine Plastic Litter: Case Studies from Mumbai

Mr Manish Bhaskar Asodekar, Research Associate, Land Resources Division, TERI

Join us for this timely and thought-provoking conversation as we rethink our relationship with plastic, revive fragile marine ecosystems, and collectively reimagine a cleaner, more resilient blue future.

Register Here

The ocean is our planet’s largest ecosystem, containing between 50% and 80% of all life on Earth. It provides us with more than half of the world’s oxygen and is home to millions of species that play critical roles in their marine ecosystems. These are just the species we know about, as experts estimate that over 90% of the species in our oceans are yet to be classified.

The ocean also plays an important role in the wider health of the planet. Since the end of the pre-industrial era, it is estimated that the ocean has sequestered 29% of the world’s carbon emissions and holds roughly 42 times more carbon than the atmosphere, showing its importance as a carbon sink.

Alongside these critical ecological roles, the ocean is crucial to supporting human life and society. It provides livelihoods for around 10-12% of the world’s population and adds US$1.5 trillion annually to the global economy.

In 2025, now more than ever, the ocean and the species that inhabit it need our help. Human-caused threats like ocean noise pollution, vessel strikes, and entanglement in fishing gear are threatening the lives of marine animals, while wasting water, overuse of plastics, and irresponsible travel cause direct harm to the ocean.

But, to make a real difference to marine habitats, we all need to play our part. Together, we can build a healthier future for the ocean. With this in mind, here are some easy steps you can take to protect marine animals and critical ocean habitats.

Conserve water and reduce runoff

Tata Power’s initiatives are aimed at mobilizing sustainable change – from planting trees and conserving wildlife to empowering people with climate education. Here are a few notable green initiatives and how they are making a difference:

Tree Mittra

Tree Mittra is Tata Power’s flagship volunteering program for afforestation and green cover. It’s a virtual tree-plantation drive encouraging individuals to adopt, plant, and nurture trees locally. Employees, families, and customers register planted trees through a mobile app and track growth. Tree planting is a year-round activity rather than a one-day event. In FY2023, over 600,000 trees were planted under Tree Mittra , boosting reforestation and biodiversity across multiple states. Tree Mittra helps absorb carbon emissions and foster greener communities by making it easy and engaging to grow trees.

GhanVan

Project GhanVan is an ambitious tree-planting and habitat restoration project by Tata Power with the ICICI Foundation. Focused on India’s Western Ghats, a UNESCO biodiversity hotspot, it aims to plant 250,000 indigenous trees across 75 acres of Maharashtra’s hydro catchment areas over three years. GhanVan, meaning “dense forest,” boosts green cover, supports soil conservation, and enhances local water resources. Using drip irrigation and prioritizing native species ensures sapling survival. Local communities maintain plantations, fostering biodiversity and conservation awareness. Ultimately, GhanVan restores degraded land into lush forests, benefiting wildlife and people.

Climate Crew

Climate crew goes beyond an initiative; it’s a movement at Tata Power. This sustainability platform empowers thousands of employees to live and work sustainably. Employees join and pledge habits like saving energy, reducing plastic, and carpooling, then share progress. Tata Power’s sustainability team provides spaces for employees to challenge one another. Inspired by the CEO’s vision to walk the talk, over 11,500 employees have pledged to shrink their carbon footprints, sparking a domino effect in communities. Climate Crew shows that small actions by individuals can lead to significant carbon savings.

Mangrove conservation

Tata Power is invested in protecting vital coastal ecosystems, such as Mumbai’s mangrove forests . In a pioneering public-private effort in Navi Mumbai, the company funded the restoration of 25 hectares of degraded coastline with 50,000 mangrove saplings. The project cleared blockages to restore tidal flow and natural regrowth, and experts trained local community members to join the restoration. This corporate-led conservation has enhanced biodiversity, bringing back birds and marine life, and strengthened coastal defenses against erosion and extreme weather.

Gaja Sanrakshana

Gaja Sanrakshana , meaning Elephant Protection in Sanskrit, is Tata Power’s flagship initiative across Odisha to safeguard India’s native gentle giants. Launched in collaboration with the Odisha state government and conservation groups, it aims to reduce deadly human-elephant conflict and protect elephant populations near power lines and substations. The program installs active early-warning systems to continuously alert communities of approaching herds and builds barriers or safe passages to keep elephants away from highways and villages. Tata Power also upgrades its infrastructure by insulating or raising power lines to prevent wildlife electrocutions. Gaja Sanrakshana not only supports endangered species but also embodies harmony between human development and wildlife conservation.

Since its inception, the initiative has sensitized 6,412 farmers on elephant conservation and covered 200 vulnerable villages in the initial phase. It has identified and addressed 52 live-wire “poaching” hotspots, assessed 441 solar-powered fences to prevent human-elephant conflict, and engaged over 2,500 school children in awareness programs.

Each of these initiatives highlights a different aspect of environmental sustainability. They show that Tata Power’s experience demonstrates that sustainability is attainable when it’s built into the mission, whether through engaging volunteers or partnering with NGOs and governments.

The team behind a circular economy initiative aimed at tackling plastic pollution, which includes experts from Northumbria University, is celebrating the launch of a toolkit designed to provide practical guidance on setting up recycling schemes across the world.

The Flipflopi Project based in East Africa promotes solutions for plastic recovery, recycling, and sustainable livelihoods in coastal and island communities by running education programmes to help generate public support and engage with policymakers on reducing plastic waste. The project is perhaps best known for creating the world’s first traditional dhow sailing boat made entirely from recycled plastic, including more than 30,000 discarded flip flops collected from the coast of Kenya.

Now, the Flipflopi Toolkit: recycling solutions for remote communities, has been launched as a comprehensive resource to help small and medium-sized enterprises, community-based organisations and non-governmental organisations develop resilient plastic recovery and recycling programmes.

Many recycling initiatives struggle due to high operational costs, limited market access, and technical challenges. Simon Scott-Harden, an expert in product and material design from Northumbria University, first became involved in the Flipflopi Project in 2017 and said the resource had been put together to share proven strategies and best practices with organisations facing these challenges.

“As part of the Flipflopi Project’s commitment to knowledge sharing, we created the toolkit covering all areas we have developed, drawing on our own experiences, successes and failures and hopefully providing useful practical insights for others,” explained Simon, who teaches on the Product Design BA (Hons) programme at Northumbria’s School of Design, Arts and Creative Industries and has supported the project alongside Dr Phil Hackney, Associate Professor in mechanical engineering and Senior Technician, Johnny Hayes. “The content was written by the Flipflopi team allowing us to ensure a dynamic and living tool.”

The toolkit provides step-by-step guidance on setting up and running a successful recycling initiative, covering:

Plastic recycling essentials

Local outreach – encouraging participation and awareness.

Feedstock – collecting, sorting, cleaning, and solving common problems.

Recycling – creating valuable items from recycled plastic.

Enterprise – understanding markets and building a business.

Tracking impact – measuring environmental, social, and business results.

Scaling your impact

Research and development – improving materials, processes, and techniques.

Teaching – sharing knowledge through training and education.

Partnerships – working with governments and municipalities to improve waste systems.

Policymaking – informing decision-makers on supporting circular economies.

Campaigning – lessons from pushing for stronger laws, and how to start.

“By sharing what we’ve learned, we hope coastal and remote communities are better equipped to tackle plastic pollution with environmental, social and economic benefits,” said Davina Ngei, Programme Manager at the Flipflopi Project. “The toolkit is a practical and adaptable resource for any organisation looking to make community-based plastic waste management work in challenging environments.”

The toolkits are supported through the Sustainable Manufacturing and Environmental Pollution (SMEP) programme established by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and implemented in partnership with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

The toolkits conclude the Flipflopi Mitigating Plastic Pollution through Heritage Boat Building project, which was supported by SMEP funding between January 2022 and March 2025, involving partners CORDIO East Africa and the University of Portsmouth, as well as Northumbria University. In the early part of the project, Simon travelled to Kenya to help establish a new heritage boat building training centre where indigenous knowledge and skills are used to transform single use plastics into traditional sailing vessels.

Discover more about the Flipflopi Project here and download the free toolkit at toolkit.theflipflopi.com

Ends

Notes to editors

About the SMEP programme

The Sustainable Manufacturing and Environmental Pollution (SMEP) programme has been established by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and is implemented in partnership with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

The toolkits are supported through SMEP as part of Flipflopi’s “Mitigating Plastic Pollution through Heritage Boat Building” Project which was funded from January 2022 – March 2025 (Consortium partners: University of Northumbria, CORDIO East Africa, and University of Portsmouth).

The SMEP Programme aims to generate cutting-edge scientific evidence and to improve existing knowledge on the environmental health and socio-economic impacts of selected manufacturing sectors across target countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. The programme will also identify technology-based solutions to address the most pressing environmental health issues associated with manufacturing in focus countries and invest in developing business processes and systems to promote the uptake of identified pollution control solutions.

The purpose of this release is to announce UK waste estimates which provide an overview of the waste sector. It includes data on:

the recycling rate from waste from households ( WfH ), with new provisional 2023 data

), with new provisional 2023 data the amount of biodegradable municipal waste ( BMW ) sent to landfill, with new 2023 data

) sent to landfill, with new 2023 data packaging waste, with new provisional 2024 data

the recovery rate from construction and demolition ( C&D ), which has not been updated

), which has not been updated commercial and industrial ( C&I ) waste, with new 2023 England data

) waste, with new 2023 England data the total waste generation and final treatment of all waste, which has not been updated

waste infrastructure, which has not been updated

There is a detailed separate UK statistics on waste dataset.

1. Key points The provisional UK recycling rate for waste from households ( WfH ), including Incinerator Bottom Ash metal ( IBAm ), was 44.6% in 2023, increasing from 44.1% in 2022.

( ), including Incinerator Bottom Ash metal ( ), was 44.6% in 2023, increasing from 44.1% in 2022. The recycling rate for waste from households increased in all UK countries in 2023. The recycling rate for England was 44.0% (provisional); it was 50.2% in Northern Ireland, 42.1% in Scotland, and 57.0% in Wales.

The recycling rate for England was 44.0% (provisional); it was 50.2% in Northern Ireland, 42.1% in Scotland, and 57.0% in Wales. UK biodegradable municipal waste ( BMW ) sent to landfill decreased to 5.3 million tonnes in 2023 from 6.3 million tonnes in 2022.

decreased to 5.3 million tonnes in 2023 from 6.3 million tonnes in 2022. Provisional figures for 2024 show that between 64.1% and 75.2% of UK packaging waste overall was recycled.

overall was recycled. It is estimated that the UK generated 40.4 million tonnes of commercial and industrial ( C&I ) waste in 2020, of which 33.7 million tonnes (83%) was generated in England. The latest estimates for England only, indicate that C&I waste generation was around 32.6 million tonnes in 2023.

in 2020, of which 33.7 million tonnes (83%) was generated in England. The latest estimates for England only, indicate that waste generation was around 32.6 million tonnes in 2023. In 2020, it is estimated that the UK generated 59.4 million tonnes of non-hazardous construction and demolition ( C&D ) waste , of which 55.0 million tonnes was recovered. England generated 53.9 million tonnes of this waste, of which 50.3 million tonnes was recovered. In 2022, England generated 63.0 million tonnes of non-hazardous C&D waste, of which 59.4 million tonnes was recovered.

, of which 55.0 million tonnes was recovered. England generated 53.9 million tonnes of this waste, of which 50.3 million tonnes was recovered. In 2022, England generated 63.0 million tonnes of non-hazardous waste, of which 59.4 million tonnes was recovered. The UK generated 191.2 million tonnes of total waste in 2020, with England responsible for 85% (162.8 million tonnes) of the UK total.

This release contains several data updates.

Waste from household figures: there have been minor revisions made to the Scotland figures for 2022 due to historical updates for some local authorities. Revisions have been made to the 2019 to 2022 Wales figures for consistency purposes following an enhancement in the method of calculating waste from households in 2022, which now enables street sweeping recycling tonnages to be more readily identified and excluded from the Wales data.

Biodegradable municipal waste to landfill figures: there have been minor revisions to the 2019 figures for Wales due to revised site return data.

3. Impact of coronavirus (COVID-19)

The reporting period for some of these statistics coincides with the COVID-19 pandemic and the national lockdowns.

4. Waste from households ( WfH )

Updated, with new provisional figures for 2023

Waste from households ( WfH ) is the agreed harmonised UK measure used to report household recycling. The UK currently defines ‘household waste’ using the waste from households measure.

Updated UK figures for 2023 are available as summarised in Table 1 and Figure 1. Figures for the UK and England for 2023 are provisional due to incomplete reporting by one local authority in England.

The recycling figures all include metal recovered and recycled after incineration (incinerator bottom ash metal; IBAm ). This methodological change was introduced in the February 2018 release for 2016 data. At an overall UK level this change in methodology raised the recycling rate for 2023 by around 0.9 percentage points (equivalent to 240,000 tonnes; see UK statistics on waste dataset). For more details on this change refer to the methodology section.

Table 1: Waste from households, UK and country split, 2019 to 2023 (thousand tonnes and percentage rate)

Year Measure UK England Northern Ireland Scotland Wales 2019 Arisings 26,441 22,074 842 2,303 1,223 Of which recycled 12,173 10,054 426 1,001 692 Recycling rate 46.0% 45.5% 50.6% 43.5% 56.6% 2020 Arisings 27,009 22,586 860 2,335 1,228 Of which recycled 12,005 9,935 422 956 692 Recycling rate 44.5% 44.0% 49.1% 41.0% 56.3% 2021 Arisings 27,650 23,120 891 2,381 1,257 Of which recycled 12,333 10,200 432 993 709 Recycling rate 44.6% 44.1% 48.4% 41.7% 56.4% 2022 Arisings 25,687 21,466 812 2,238 1,170 Of which recycled 11,323 9,322 400 940 661 Recycling rate 44.1% 43.4% 49.2% 42.0% 56.5% 2023* Arisings 25,913 21,717 833 2,212 1,150 Of which recycled 11,554 9,548 419 932 656 Recycling rate 44.6% 44.0% 50.2% 42.1% 57.0%

Source: WasteDataFlow, Defra Statistics

Notes on Table 1: * 2023 figures for England and the UK are provisional due to incomplete reporting by one local authority in England

Figures include IBA metal but in Northern Ireland, only since mid-2023

metal but in Northern Ireland, only since mid-2023 Equivalent figures for 2015 to 2018 can be seen in the accompanying UK statistics on waste dataset

Percentages calculated from unrounded figures; breakdowns for individual countries may not exactly sum to UK totals due to rounding

Minor revisions have been made to the Scotland figures for 2022 due to historical updates for several local authorities

Revisions have been made to the 2019 to 2022 Wales figures for consistency purposes following an enhancement in the method of calculating waste from households in 2022, which now enables street sweeping recycling tonnages to be more readily identified and excluded from the Wales data

Download the data for Table 1

Total UK waste from households generation was 25.9 million tonnes in 2023, an increase of 1% from 2022. England is responsible for the vast majority of UK waste from households, generating 21.7 million tonnes (84% of the UK total) in 2023 (Table 1).

Figure 1: Recycling rate from waste from households, UK and country split, 2010 to 2023

Source: WasteDataFlow, Defra Statistics

Notes on Figure 1: * 2023 figures for England and the UK are provisional due to incomplete reporting by one local authority in England

From 2015, these figures include IBA metal (this typically adds up to 0.9 percentage points to the overall UK recycling rate)

metal (this typically adds up to 0.9 percentage points to the overall UK recycling rate) In Northern Ireland, IBA metal has only been included since mid-2023

Download the data for Figure 1

Figure 1 shows that the UK Waste from households provisional recycling rate (including IBA metal) was 44.6% in 2023, increasing from 44.1% in 2022.

The recycling rate for waste from households increased in all UK countries in 2023. The recycling rate for England was 44.0% (provisional); it was 50.2% in Northern Ireland, 42.1% in Scotland, and 57% in Wales.

Total waste from households generation in England increased by 1.2% in 2023. Residual waste was unchanged from 2022, while recycling increased by 0.2 million tonnes (2.4%). A return to more normal growing conditions in 2023 led to higher levels of plant growth compared to 2022, and the organic contribution to recycling increased by 0.4 million tonnes (10.8%). Dry recycling declined by 0.1 million tonnes (2.4%). See our local authority collected and managed waste statistical notice for more information.

5. Biodegradable municipal waste ( BMW ) sent to landfill

Updated, with new figures for 2023

UK estimates for biodegradable municipal waste ( BMW ) to landfill have been calculated using a UK wide approach in accordance with relevant legislation. Biodegradable municipal waste is the fraction of municipal waste that will decompose. Amongst other materials it will include food waste, green waste, cardboard and paper.

The UK countries have agreed a set of European Waste Catalogue ( EWC ) classification codes to represent ‘municipal waste’. Countries use broadly similar, but non-identical sets of factors, for the proportion of each EWC code that is biodegradable, based upon composition studies of landfill waste. See methodology section for more details.

Figure 2: Biodegradable municipal waste to landfill UK and country split, 2010 to 2023

Source: Waste Data Interrogator, Defra Statistics

Notes on Figure 2: Minor revisions have been made to the 2019 figures for Wales due to revised site return data

Download the data for Figure 2

Figure 2 and Table 2 show that UK biodegradable municipal waste sent to landfill decreased to 5.3 million tonnes in 2023 from 6.3 million tonnes in 2022. England is responsible for 82% of UK biodegradable municipal waste to landfill, generating 4.4 million tonnes of the 5.3 million tonnes UK total in 2023.

Table 2: Biodegradable municipal waste to landfill, UK and country split, 2019 to 2023 (thousand tonnes)

Year Measure UK England Northern Ireland Scotland Wales 2019 Municipal Waste to Landfill 13,781 11,492 445 1,338 507 of which biodegradable 6,626 5,418 260 699 250 2020 Municipal Waste to Landfill 12,765 10,521 430 1,363 452 of which biodegradable 6,175 4,968 252 734 221 2021 Municipal Waste to Landfill 13,973 11,394 436 1,544 599 of which biodegradable 6,741 5,325 266 855 296 2022 Municipal Waste to Landfill 13,146 10,967 339 1,269 571 of which biodegradable 6,310 5,132 204 699 276 2023 Municipal Waste to Landfill 11,184 9,332 314 1,083 455 of which biodegradable 5,344 4,388 186 554 216

Source: Waste Data Interrogator, Defra Statistics

Notes on Table 2: Individual countries may not exactly sum to UK total due to rounding

Minor revisions have been made to the 2019 figures for Wales due to revised site return data

Equivalent figures for 2010 to 2018 can be seen in the accompanying UK statistics on waste dataset

Download the data for Table 2

The vast majority of municipal waste received at landfill is classified as “mixed” waste categories, from which it is not possible to routinely identify individual material streams, for example, food waste, without commissioning specific research on waste composition. The Waste and Resources Action Programme ( WRAP ) have published the results of a study to quantify the composition of municipal waste at the point of collection, but this does not directly relate to data on waste received at treatment sites.

Table 3: Municipal waste to landfill, by main waste types, UK and country split, 2023 (thousand tonnes)

Waste Type ( EWC code) UK England Northern Ireland Scotland Wales Wastes from mechanical treatment of waste (19 12 12) 7,797 6,961 118 340 378 Mixed municipal waste (20 03 01) 2,080 1,348 165 508 59 Other (all other EWC codes) 1,307 1,022 31 236 18 Total 11,184 9,332 314 1,083 455

Source: Waste Data Interrogator, Defra Statistics

Notes on Table 3: Individual countries may not exactly sum to UK total due to rounding

Download the data for Table 3

Table 3 shows the amount of municipal waste to landfill by main waste types for 2023. The two main municipal waste categories at landfill are ‘wastes from mechanical treatment of waste’ ( EWC code 19 12 12) and ‘mixed municipal waste’ ( EWC code 20 03 01), which together make up around 88% of all municipal waste received at landfill.

In 2023, 7.8 million tonnes of municipal waste sent to landfill in the UK was categorised as ‘wastes from mechanical treatment of waste’, and 2.1 million tonnes was categorised as ‘mixed municipal waste’ (Table 3). The proportions of these municipal waste categories at landfill have nearly reversed since 2010, with ‘wastes from mechanical treatment of waste’ increasing almost every year (from 38% in 2010 to 70% in 2023) and ‘mixed municipal waste’ decreasing almost every year (from 54% in 2010 to 19% in 2023). Data on the biodegradable portions of these waste codes can be found in the underlying UK statistics on waste dataset.

For England in 2023, EWC codes 19 12 12 and 20 03 01 together accounted for 89% of municipal waste received at landfill. Of the remaining 11.7%, 7.8% was accounted for by three EWC codes with tonnages between 100,000 and 330,000 tonnes (20 02 02, 20 03 07, 19 05 03), 3.5% by eight EWC codes with tonnages between 10,000 and 100,000 tonnes and the final 0.6% by small tonnages of a further 32 EWC codes.

6. Packaging waste

Updated with new provisional figures for 2024

The Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations set material specific recycling targets and require businesses obligated under the regulations to ensure the recycling of a proportion of the packaging they generate and place on the market.

UK recycling rates for packaging materials for 2024 are calculated based on the amount of packaging reported as being recycled under the regulations and the total amount of packaging materials estimated to be placed on the UK market in each year.

Two methodologies for the recycling rates are presented in this section with each using different data sources for the packaging waste arising data. The same data source is used for the actual amount of packaging waste recycled.

In methodology 1, the same data source for estimates of the total packaging placed on the market (PackFlow) is used as those presented in the historic time series. The figures in methodology 2 use new data on total packaging supplied and placed on the UK market (Reported Packaging Data system).

6.1 Methodology 1

The recycling rates presented in Table 4 (methodology 1) are based on actual recycling data from the National Packaging Waste Database ( NPWD ), which records all the tonnages recycled by accredited reprocessors and exporters, and estimates of the total packaging placed on the UK market, from the PackFlow report.

PackFlow is a report commissioned by Defra to provide information on the total flows of packaging in the UK and has historically been used to estimate the total amount of material placed on the market (PoM).

Table 4: Methodology 1, packaging waste and recycling, split by material, UK 2024 (thousand tonnes and percentage rate)

Material Packaging waste arising Total recycled Achieved recycling rate Metal 784 536 68.4% — of which: Aluminium 287 157 54.7% — of which: Steel 497 379 76.3% Paper and cardboard 5,479 4,069 74.3% Glass 2,678 1,759 65.7% Plastic 2,265 1,154 51.0% Wood 1,498 634 42.4% Other* materials 23 0 0.0% Total (for recycling) 12,727 8,154 64.1%

Source: National Packaging Waste Database and PackFlow

Notes on Table 4: * Other includes materials such as cloth, corks, gel, glue, hessian sacks and wax used as packaging

Percentages calculated using unrounded figures. Numbers may not add to exact totals. This is due to rounding

Equivalent figures for 2012 to 2023 can be seen in the accompanying UK statistics on waste dataset

Arisings estimates made at point of manufacture. For further details see the methodology section

The placed on the market data (PoM) uses data from the latest iteration of the PackFlow report commissioned by Defra

Download the data for Table 4

Table 4 shows the amount of packaging waste and the amount recycled broken down by material type for 2024 for methodology 1. In 2024,for methodology 1, 64.1% of UK packaging waste was recycled.

The highest recycling rate achieved in 2024 was 74.3% for paper and cardboard, followed by 68.4% for metal and 65.7% for glass.

6.2 Methodology 2

Packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (pEPR) came into force on 1 January 2025, and with the data regulations,Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging and Packaging Waste) 2024, provides new data on total packaging supplied and placed on the UK market by obligated producers.

The recycling rates presented in Table 5 (methodology 2) are based on actual recycling data from the National Packaging Waste Database ( NPWD ) and uses the total reported packaging tonnages by large and small producers from the Reported Packaging Data system.

Table 5: Methodology 2, provisional packaging waste and recycling, split by material, UK 2024 (thousand tonnes and percentage rate).

Material Packaging waste arising Total recycled Achieved recycling rate Metal 668 536 80.4% — of which: Aluminium 229 157 68.5% — of which: Steel 438 379 86.6% Paper and cardboard 4,709 4,069 86.4% Glass 2,189 1,759 80.4% Plastic 2,149 1,154 53.7% Wood 1,106 634 57.3% Other* materials 23 0 0.0% Total (for recycling) 10,844 8,154 75.2%

Source: National Packaging Waste Database and Reported Packaging Data

Notes on Table 5: * Other includes materials such as cloth, corks, gel, glue, hessian sacks and wax used as packaging

Percentages calculated using unrounded figures. Numbers may not add to exact totals. This is due to rounding

Arisings data is sourced from the Reported Packaging Data system for H1 and H2 of 2024 (as submitted in October 2024 and April 2025). Data as of 2 June 2025

Download the data for Table 5

Table 5 shows the amount of packaging waste, and the amount recycled broken down by material type for 2024, for methodology 2. Provisional figures for 2024 show that 75.2% of UK packaging waste was recycled under methodology 2.

The highest recycling rate achieved in 2024 was 86.4% for paper and cardboard, followed by both glass and metal at 80.4%.

7. Recovery rate from non-hazardous construction and demolition ( C&D ) waste

Not updated

Accurately quantifying construction and demolition ( C&D ) waste is challenging and whilst the absolute tonnage figures are subject to a relatively high level of uncertainty, there is not a significant impact on the final recovery rate.

Tables 6 and 7 show the amount of non-hazardous construction and demolition waste generated and recovered for both the UK and England

Table 6: Recovery rate from non-hazardous construction and demolition waste, UK, 2010 to 2020 (million tonnes and percentage rate)

Year Generation Recovery Recovery rate 2010 59.2 53.1 89.7% 2011 60.2 55.2 91.8% 2012 55.8 51.0 91.4% 2013 57.1 52.2 91.5% 2014 61.6 56.4 91.7% 2015 63.8 58.4 91.5% 2016 66.2 60.6 91.6% 2017 68.7 63.6 92.5% 2018 67.8 63.2 93.1% 2019 68.2 63.7 93.3% 2020 59.4 55.0 92.6%

Source: Defra Statistics

Notes on Table 6: Excludes excavation waste

Percentages calculated using unrounded figures

For England and Wales, recovery is calculated as generation minus landfill. For Scotland and Northern Ireland recovery is calculated as generation minus landfill and incineration

The Environment Agency permit data for England for 2019 onwards includes data on extra sites which is now being captured within the methodology

Due to a cyber-attack, C&D estimates for Scotland are not available for 2019 and 2020. To calculate a UK figure for 2019 and 2020, the 2018 data for Scotland has been used for 2019 and the 2021 Scotland figure has been used for 2020

Download the data for Table 6

In 2020, the UK generated 59.4 million tonnes of non-hazardous C&D waste, of which 55.0 million tonnes was recovered. This represents a recovery rate of 92.6% (Table 6).

The UK recovery rate from non-hazardous C&D waste has remained at similar levels from 2010 to 2020.

Table 7: Recovery rate from non-hazardous construction and demolition waste, England, 2010 to 2022 (million tonnes and percentage rate)

Year Generation Recovery Recovery rate 2010 53.6 49.4 92.2% 2011 54.9 50.8 92.5% 2012 50.5 46.4 92.0% 2013 51.7 47.6 92.0% 2014 55.9 51.7 92.4% 2015 57.7 53.3 92.3% 2016 59.6 55.0 92.1% 2017 62.2 57.9 93.1% 2018 61.4 57.5 93.8% 2019 62.3 58.3 93.6% 2020 53.9 50.3 93.2% 2021 61.1 57.2 93.6% 2022 63.0 59.4 94.3%

Source: Defra Statistics

Notes on Table 7: The Environment Agency permit data for England for 2019 onwards includes data on extra sites which is now being captured within the methodology

For England recovery is calculated as generation minus landfill

Download the data for Table 7

In 2022, England generated 63.0 million tonnes of non-hazardous C&D waste, of which 59.4 million tonnes was recovered. This represents a recovery rate of 94.3% (Table 7). The England recovery rate from non-hazardous C&D waste has remained between 92% to 94% from 2010 to 2022.

8. Waste from commercial and industrial ( C&I ) activities

Updated, with new England figures for 2023

Defra previously worked closely with industry experts to improve the commercial and industrial ( C&I ) methodology for England (for details see Commercial and Industrial waste arisings methodology revisions for England). Nonetheless, C&I waste generation remains extremely difficult to estimate owing to data limitations and data gaps. As a result, C&I estimates for England have a much higher level of uncertainty than Waste from Households (or other Local Authority Collected Waste) and users should exercise caution in application of the figures and interpreting trends over time.

The methodology relies largely on known tonnages of waste processed at permitted sites and recycling facilities. It makes no attempt to estimate waste that may be processed at exempt sites that is not captured in the available recycling data. The term ‘commercial and industrial’ spans a range of economic activities including manufacturing, industrial processes and service-based enterprises, but excluding sewage sludge.

Estimates presented below are “as received” tonnages and do not include an additional adjustment from wet weight to dry weight for sludges.

Tables 8 and 9 show the amount of commercial and industrial waste generated in the UK and England.

Table 8: Total waste generated by the commercial and industrial sectors, UK, 2010 to 2020 (million tonnes)

Year Commercial Industrial Total C&I 2010 28.7 15.0 43.7 2012 25.0 17.6 42.6 2014 25.4 14.6 40.0 2016 27.5 13.5 41.0 2018 30.8 13.1 43.9 2020 28.0 12.4 40.4

Source: Defra statistics

Notes on Table 8: Due to a cyber-attack, C&I estimates for Scotland are not available for 2020. To calculate a UK figure for 2020, the 2018 data for Scotland has been used for 2020

Download the data for Table 8

The UK C&I sectors generated 40.4 million tonnes of waste in 2020 (Table 8), of which 33.7 million tonnes (around 83%) was produced in England. By comparison, the 2018 UK C&I waste arisings figure was 43.9 million tonnes, of which 37.2 million tonnes was generated by England. Over two-thirds of C&I waste is generated by the commercial sector, in both the UK and England.

Table 9: Total waste generated by the commercial and industrial sectors, England, 2010 to 2023 (million tonnes)

Year Commercial Industrial Total C&I 2010 21.6 10.4 32.0 2011 21.4 12.0 33.4 2012 21.0 12.9 33.9 2013 20.8 12.0 32.8 2014 21.3 10.4 31.7 2015 22.5 9.4 31.9 2016 23.6 9.5 33.1 2017 25.8 10.3 36.1 2018 27.1 10.1 37.2 2019 26.6 10.6 37.2 2020 24.3 9.4 33.7 2021 24.6 9.2 33.8 2022 24.1 9.5 33.6 2023 23.5 9.1 32.6

Source: Defra statistics

Download the data for Table 9

The latest estimates for England only, indicate that waste generation was around 32.6 million tonnes in 2023, a 3% decrease since 2022 (Table 9). Caution should generally be exercised in interpreting apparent year-on-year changes in the C&I data, owing to inherent uncertainties in the underlying data and methodology.

9. Total waste generation and final treatment of all waste

Not updated

There are some differences between the C&I figures presented here, and those shown in the C&I section of this release (Section 8). For the purposes of the calculated total waste figures, sewage sludge is included in the C&I estimates. For the total waste generated and treated figures sludges are converted from wet to dry weight, The UK 2020 figure for C&I that is incorporated in Table 10 (39.3 million tonnes) does not differ greatly from that published in Table 8 on an ‘as received’ basis but excluding sewage sludge (40.4 million tonnes). Minor additional revisions are detailed in the methodology section.

Total waste generation is split by material and the Nomenclature of Economic Activities ( NACE ) economic activity responsible for generating it. Users should be aware that ‘total waste’ includes all waste produced by the economy and is therefore much broader than frequently analysed subsets such as ‘municipal waste’ or ‘waste from households’. Users should also consider the varying natures and impacts of different waste materials included within total waste.

For the waste generation figures for England, the co-mingled recyclates collected exclusively from households have been separated into the individual materials using proportions derived from composition waste studies carried out by WRAP .

9.1 Waste generation

Total waste generated figures are presented below for the UK and England for 2020 and for England only for 2022. The 2020 data have likely been impacted by the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Figure 3: Waste generation split by source, UK, 2020

Source: Defra Statistics

Notes on Figure 3: Percentages may not sum to exactly 100% due to rounding

‘Other’ consists of waste from mining, agriculture, forestry and fishing

C&I figures presented here differ from those in the C&I section in that they include sewage sludge. However, for these figures, sludges are converted to dry weight, the C&I figures do not differ greatly from those presented in the C&I section

figures presented here differ from those in the section in that they include sewage sludge. However, for these figures, sludges are converted to dry weight, the figures do not differ greatly from those presented in the section CD&E figures include excavation waste and dredging

figures include excavation waste and dredging Household figures are based on the waste from households measure

Download the data for Figure 3

Figure 3 shows the amount of waste generated split by source. Construction, demolition and excavation (CD&E; including dredging) generated around three-fifths (61%) of total UK waste in 2020. Commercial and Industrial ( C&I ) waste accounted for around a fifth (21%) of total waste generation and the remaining fifth was split between ‘Households’ (14%) and ‘Other’ activities (4%). In England, the share of CD&E was higher at 63% of the total; ‘Households,’ C&I and the ‘Other’ contributions were similar to the UK.

Note: The ‘Households’ measure quoted here is the waste from households measure, with mapping between the WasteDataFlow and EWC -STAT material categories.

Table 10: Waste generation split by responsible economic activity, UK, 2018 to 2020 (million tonnes)

Year Commercial & industrial Construction, demolition & excavation (includes dredging) Households Other Total 2018 42.6 137.8 26.4 15.4 222.2 2020 39.3 117.5 27.0 7.5 191.2 Change -7.8% -14.8% 2.3% -51.4% -13.9%

Source: Defra Statistics

Notes on Table 10: Includes waste that may go for export, but excludes waste imported from outside the UK

‘Other’ consists of waste from mining, agriculture, forestry and fishing

Percentages calculated from unrounded figures; breakdowns may not exactly sum to totals due to rounding

Download the data for Table 10

Table 10 shows that the UK generated 191.2 million tonnes of total waste in 2020, a decrease of 13.9% from the 222.2 million tonnes generated in 2018. England generated 162.8 million tonnes of total waste in 2020 (Table 11), 85% of the UK total.

Table 11: Waste generation split by responsible economic activity, England, 2018 to 2022 (million tonnes)

Year Commercial & industrial Construction, demolition & excavation (includes dredging) Households Other Total 2018 36.1 119.4 22.0 9.7 187.3 2020 32.8 102.6 22.6 4.9 162.8 2022 32.6 132.1 21.5 5.2 191.4 Change (2020 to 2022) -0.5% 28.8% -5.0% 6.2% 17.6%

Source: Defra Statistics

Notes on Table 11: Includes waste that may go for export, but excludes waste imported from outside the UK

‘Other’ consists of waste from mining, agriculture, forestry and fishing

Percentages calculated from unrounded figures; breakdowns may not exactly sum to totals due to rounding

Download the data for Table 11

Note: Figure 4 splits all waste generated in the UK by waste materials, which are categorised by European Waste Catalogue ( EWC ) codes. Care should be taken when interpreting this information as some categories, for example, ‘Household & similar wastes’ will include mixtures of waste. As a result, an individual material stream such as ‘Plastic wastes’ will not represent total tonnages of plastic waste, because there will also be some in mixed waste streams (for example, black bag waste) that are categorised as ‘Household and similar wastes’.

Figure 4: Waste generation by waste material, UK, 2020

Source: Defra Statistics

Notes on Figure 4: Includes waste that may go on to be exported, but excludes waste imported from outside the UK

Any type of waste can be generated by any economic activity. For example, ‘Household & similar wastes’ are not solely generated by ‘Households’

Percentages may not sum to exactly 100% due to rounding

A more detailed material split is available in the accompanying UK statistics on waste dataset

Download the data for Figure 4

Figure 4 shows the amount of waste generated split by material type. The largest waste material categories generated in the UK in 2020 were ‘Mineral Wastes’ (64 million tonnes), and ‘Soils’ (53 million tonnes). Together, these make up 61% of total UK waste.

9.2 Waste treatment

Total waste treated figures are presented below for the UK and England for 2020 and for England only for 2022. The 2020 data have likely been impacted by the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Table 12: All waste at final treatment, split by method, UK, 2018 to 2020 (million tonnes and percentage change)

Method 2018 2020 Change Recycling and other recovery 108.4 97.3 -10.3% Incineration with energy recovery (R1)* 8.5 9.7 14.7% Incineration (excluding R1) 7.3 9.2 26.7% Backfilling 14.2 12.8 -9.4% Landfill 50.8 45.0 -11.4% Land treatment and release into water bodies 25.7 11.7 -54.4% Total 214.8 185.8 -13.5%

Source: Defra Statistics

Notes on Table 12: * where formal R1 accreditation has been awarded

Includes waste that may have been imported, but excludes waste exported for treatment outside the UK

See methodology section for more details on the treatment categories

Percentages calculated from unrounded figures; breakdowns may not exactly sum to totals due to rounding

Download the data for Table 12

Table 12 shows that ‘Recycling and other recovery’ was the most common final waste treatment type in the UK, accounting for 97.3 million tonnes (52.3%) in 2020. Around two-thirds of ‘Recycling and other recovery’ is recovery of mineral wastes and soils from the construction, demolition and excavation sector. The remainder is predominantly recycling (for example, glass, plastic, metal, wood, composting) but also includes some non-recycling activities that are not captured elsewhere, for example, wood used for biomass. Landfill is the second most used waste treatment in the UK, with 24.2% (45 million tonnes) of waste disposed of at landfill in 2020.

Energy recovery at facilities with R1 accreditation, in the UK, increased to 9.7 million tonnes in 2020 from 8.5 million tonnes in 2018.

Table 13 shows the total amount of waste at final treatment for England split by method.

Table 13: All waste at final treatment, split by method, England, 2018 to 2022 (million tonnes and percentage change)

Method 2018 2020 2022 Change (2020 to 2022) Recycling and other recovery 96.5 88.0 98.8 12.2% Incineration with energy recovery (R1)* 7.4 8.3 8.4 1.3% Incineration (excluding R1) 7.0 8.0 8.7 8.9% Backfilling 11.1 9.6 11.2 15.8% Landfill 44.1 40.0 41.3 3.1% Land treatment and release into water bodies 16.8 7.6 24.8 227.9% Total 182.8 161.6 193.2 19.5%

Source: Defra Statistics

Notes on Table 13: * where formal R1 accreditation has been awarded

Includes waste that may have been imported, but excludes waste exported for treatment outside the UK

See methodology section for more details on the treatment categories

Percentages calculated from unrounded figures; breakdowns may not exactly sum to totals due to rounding

Download the data for Table 13

Table 14: Material breakdown for each final treatment method, UK, 2020 (proportion of tonnages)

Material Recycling and other recovery Incineration with energy recovery (R1)* Incineration (excluding R1) Backfilling Landfill Land treatment and release into water bodies Dredging spoils 0% 0% 0% 1% 1% 44% Glass wastes 2% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% Household & similar wastes 3% 6% 14% 0% 7% 0% Metallic wastes 15% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% Mineral wastes 53% 0% 0% 9% 5% 56% Other wastes 6% 87% 62% 3% 29% 0% Paper & cardboard wastes 1% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% Plastic wastes 1% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% Soils 12% 0% 0% 86% 57% 0% Vegetal wastes 4% 0% 2% 0% 0% 0% Wood wastes 3% 7% 21% 1% 0% 0% Total 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

Source: Defra Statistics

Notes on Table 14 * where formal R1 accreditation has been awarded

Includes waste that may have been imported, but excludes waste exported for treatment outside the UK

‘Recycling and other recovery’ is predominantly recycling (for example, glass, plastic, metal, wood, composting) but also includes some non-recycling activities that are not captured elsewhere, for example, wood used for biomass

‘Other wastes’ include residues following physical treatment and incineration of waste, residues from industrial processes and sewage. It also includes sorting residues and health care and biological wastes

Download the data for Table 14

Table 14 shows the material breakdown for each final treatment method in the UK in 2020. More than half (53%) of waste recorded as ‘recycling and other recovery’ is ‘mineral wastes’, while a further 12% is ‘soils’. The ‘mineral wastes’ category is typically construction wastes such as bricks, stone and road planings that are converted into usable aggregates. ‘Metallic wastes’ is the second biggest material group at 15%, partially a reflection of their high value. The remaining tonnage going to ‘recycling and other recovery’ consists of a variety of material types that each make a small contribution.

The majority (87%) of waste treated at energy recovery facilities is ‘Other wastes’, which includes residues following physical treatment and incineration of waste, residues from industrial processes and sewage. It also includes sorting residues and health care and biological wastes.

The vast majority (86%) of ‘Backfilling’ is ‘soils’, with ‘mineral wastes’ being the next biggest contributor at 9%.

‘Soils’ make up 57% and ‘mineral wastes’ 5% of the tonnage received by landfills, demonstrating that it is not just residual waste using this outlet. The two other main components of landfilled waste are ‘household & similar wastes’ (7% of the total) and ‘other wastes’ (29%). The ‘other wastes’ category includes ‘sorting residues’ which will typically be mixed wastes following processing to remove recyclates.

A more detailed material split along with 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2018 data and England only figures (including 2022) are available in the accompanying UK statistics on waste dataset.

Note: Generation and final treatment are at opposite ends of what can be a complex and multiple staged treatment process. Different methodology is used to estimate generation and final treatment figures. Furthermore, final treatment excludes some treatment processes identified as predominantly intermediate, which nevertheless may effectively be the final treatment for some waste. As a result, there is no direct reconciliation between generation and final treatment of total waste. Users should also be aware that in most cases it is not possible to estimate the final treatment of waste generated by specific economic activities. Users should take care to understand the material and economic activity categories. Further information is available in the methodology section and the useful links section.

10. Waste infrastructure

Not updated

Defra collates summaries from the environment agencies of all four UK countries on facilities authorised by mandatory permit or license. Capacity is based on the level authorised by permit or license with the exception of some small-scale incinerators where the permit did not feature capacity. In these cases, operational capacity is used. See the methodology section for more detail.

Table 15 shows the number and capacity of permitted final treatment facilities in the UK for 2018 and 2020. From 2018 to 2020, energy recovery facilities with R1 accreditation in the UK increased in number from 41 to 43, with capacity increasing from 11.6 million tonnes to 12.1 million tonnes per year.

Table 15: Number and capacity of permitted final treatment facilities, UK, 2018 to 2020

Facility type Measure 2018 2020 Recovery other than energy recovery (includes backfilling) Number of facilities 3,536 3,279 Energy recovery (R1) Number of facilities 41 43 Capacity (thousand tonnes per year) 11,626 12,128 Incineration (excluding R1) Number of facilities 97 100 Capacity (thousand tonnes per year) 11,921 14,499 Deposit onto or into land (landfill) Number of facilities 630 621 Rest (remaining) capacity (thousand m3) 443,880 427,206

Source: Defra Statistics

Notes on Table 15: Energy recovery refers to facilities where the main purpose is generation of energy and formal R1 accreditation has been awarded

Excludes: Recovery facilities operating solely under a waste exemption; facilities permitted only for intermediate treatment (including most anaerobic digesters); facilities that were formally closed throughout 2020 (except landfills)

Download the data for Table 15

Table 16 shows the number and capacity of permitted final treatment facilities in England for 2020 and 2022. From 2020 to 2022, energy recovery facilities with R1 accreditation in England decreased in number from 29 to 28.

Table 16: Number and capacity of permitted final treatment facilities, England, 2018 to 22

Facility type Measure 2018 2020 2022 Recovery other than energy recovery (includes backfilling) Number of facilities 1,857 1,726 1,640 Energy recovery (R1) Number of facilities 25 29 28 Capacity (thousand tonnes per year) 8,449 8,974 8,968 Incineration (excluding R1) Number of facilities 72 77 75 Capacity (thousand tonnes per year) 10,995 12,917 12,490 Deposit onto or into land (landfill) Number of facilities 534 534 533 Rest (remaining) capacity (thousand m3) 404,569 388,367 345,742

Source: Defra Statistics

Notes on Table 16: Energy recovery refers to facilities where the main purpose is generation of energy and formal R1 accreditation has been awarded

Excludes: Recovery facilities operating solely under a waste exemption; facilities permitted only for intermediate treatment (including most anaerobic digesters); facilities that were formally closed throughout 2022 (except landfills)

Download the data for Table 16

11. What you need to know about this release

11.2 Official Statistics

This is an Official Statistics publication. Our statistical practice is regulated by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR). OSR sets the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics that all producers of official statistics should adhere to. You can read about how Official Statistics in Defra comply with these standards on the Defra Statistics website.

You are welcome to contact us directly with any comments about how we meet these standards using the contact details above. Alternatively, you can contact OSR by emailing regulation@statistics.gov.uk or via the OSR website.

12. About these statistics

12.1 User statement

Data on waste generation and management is collected to monitor policy effectiveness and to support policy development. The data are used extensively by local and central government, the waste industry, academia and the public.

12.2 Feedback

We welcome feedback on the data from all users including how and why the data is used. This helps us to understand the value of the statistics to external users. Please see our contact details section of this notice.

12.3 Methodology

Waste from Households ( WfH )

Waste from households is the agreed harmonised UK measure used to report household recycling. Waste management and recycling is a devolved matter and different countries have used their own data to adopt the definition.

Waste from households includes waste from:

Regular household collection

Civic amenity sites

‘Bulky waste’

‘Other household waste’

Waste from households excludes waste from:

Street cleaning and/or sweeping

Gully emptying

Separately collected healthcare waste

Soil, Rubble, Plasterboard and Asbestos waste

All UK countries base the Waste from households measure on output from the WasteDataFlow database, which records Local Authority Collected Waste. Whilst the general approach and principles of the calculation is consistent across UK countries, there may be some differences in the specifics of the calculations as there are some differences in the structure and wording of some of the questions.

Users should be aware that individual UK countries other than England publish their own independent national household recycling estimates other than the waste from households recycling rate. Local authorities in England may also use an alternative measure.

A change was introduced from the February 2018 release to include metal recovered and recycled after incineration as recycling, instead of being reported as ‘recovery’. The amount this contributes to recycling depends on the amount of the residual waste being incinerated and the metal content of the residual waste.

Inclusion of IBA metal has been facilitated through the new Q100 reporting structure for waste treatment which all local authorities have been using since April 2015. This has provided the opportunity for more complete recording of waste treatment, including outputs from incineration. The majority of local authorities are reporting more fully, but not in all cases. While reporting and associated quality assurance are developing and being refined, the figures need to be regarded as more indicative until it becomes fully established and embedded.

This methodological change for IBA metal has been applied to all UK countries from 2015. England data only includes IBA metal from April 2015, when Q100 came into full use by all local authorities. For Wales, Q100 was introduced in 2012 and IBA metals have been included from 2015 in line with the other UK countries. Northern Ireland did not have any incinerators that burnt local authority collected municipal waste in these years and so their figures are unaffected by the change.

At an overall UK level this change in methodology raised the recycling rate for 2023 by around 0.9 percentage points (equivalent to 240,000 tonnes).

In the March 2020 release, minor revisions were made to the Scotland 2017 Recycling rate for waste from households, due to routine revision of site returns provided by operators. Wales made minor revisions to waste from households recycling figures for 2013 to 2017, reflecting an amendment to their calculation methodology. These changes for Wales have been made to improve the accuracy of the identification of recycling rejects for use in their calculations and to improve consistency with other current and future reporting requirements.

In the May 2022 release, minor revisions were made to the Scotland 2019 recycling rate for waste from households.

In the September 2024 release, minor revisions were made to the Scotland waste from households data for 2013 and 2017 to 2021, due to historical data updates for several local authorities. Revisions have been made to the 2020 England figures due to an update to historical data.

In this July 2025 release, minor revisions have been made to the Scotland figures for 2022 due to historical updates for some local authorities. Revisions have been made to the 2019 to 2022 Wales figures for consistency purposes following an enhancement in the method of calculating waste from households in 2022, which now enables street sweeping recycling tonnages to be more readily identified and excluded from the Wales data.

Biodegradable municipal waste ( BMW ) to landfill

UK estimates for biodegradable municipal waste ( BMW ) to landfill have been calculated using a UK wide approach in accordance with relevant legislation. Biodegradable municipal waste is the fraction of municipal waste that will degrade within a landfill site. Amongst other materials it will include food waste, green waste, cardboard and paper.

Tonnage data is collated from mandatory returns made for landfills to the Environment Agencies of each of the four UK countries. Tonnages are split by European Waste Catalogue ( EWC ) categorisation codes, as determined by landfill operators. For this reporting obligation, the UK countries have agreed a set of EWC codes to represent ‘municipal waste’. Scotland applies a factor to EWC code 19 12 12 on the basis that only a proportion is ‘municipal’, however other countries do not do this. Scotland include some additional EWC codes.

Factors on the proportion of waste that is biodegradable are applied to each code. Countries use broadly similar, but non-identical sets of factors.

The factors are multiplied by the tonnages and then summed to give final country level estimates for BMW to landfill. New factors were adopted by England in 2014 for the two EWC codes that dominate Municipal Waste, based upon a commissioned study of landfill waste composition. All England figures published here have been produced using these new factors. Wales adopted these new factors from 2013 and backdated their estimates for 2010 to 2012.

Details of the waste codes considered to municipal and the associated biodegradability factors can be found in the biodegradable municipal waste to landfill methodology note.

In the March 2020 release, minor revisions were made to the Scotland 2017 biodegradable municipal waste to landfill figures, due to routine revision of site returns provided by operators. Scotland also made minor amendments to one of the waste codes (19 12 12) for their 2011 to 2017 municipal waste to landfill figures, to correct an error in the apportionment between municipal and non-municipal waste.

In the June 2023 release, minor revisions were made to the Scotland 2016 and 2020 biodegradable municipal waste to landfill figures, due to routine revision of site returns provided by operators and revised estimations of the amount of EWC coded 19 12 12 waste that is of municipal origin.

In the September 2024 release, revisions have been made to the 2020 figures for England, 2019 figures for Wales and 2019 to 2021 Northern Ireland figures, due to revised site return data.

In this July 2025 release, revisions have been made to the 2019 figures for Wales due to revised site return data.

Packaging waste

UK calculations for recycling of packaging waste are made at a UK level.

UK recycling rates for packaging materials are calculated based on the amount of packaging reported as being recycled under the regulations and the total amount of packaging materials estimated to be placed on the UK market in each year.

Two methodologies for the recycling rates are presented in this release with each using different data sources for the packaging waste arising data. The same data source is used for the actual amount of packaging waste recycled.

Estimates of tonnages recycled in each year are based on Packaging Recovery Notes ( PRNs ) and Packaging Export Recovery Notes ( PERNs ) reported to the Environment Agency relevant regulator and held in the National Packaging Waste Database ( NPWD ). Obligated producers, or compliance schemes on their behalf, acquire PRNs and PERNs from accredited reprocessors and exporters. All packaging producers that have a turnover of at least £2 million and handle at least 50 tonnes of packaging per year are required to obtain sufficient PRNs and/or PERNs to evidence that they meet their individual recycling obligations. The recycling / recovery targets on producers are set by government and prior to the UK leaving the European Union are set to ensure that Northern Ireland continues to comply with the aggregated obligation for all producers was sufficient to ensure the UK met the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive targets as required by the Windsor Framework.

For methodology 1, estimates of packaging waste arisings (placed on the market) are based on data from the latest iteration of the PackFlow report. PackFlow is a report commissioned by Defra to provide information on the total flows of packaging in the UK and has historically been used to estimate the total amount of material placed on the market.

Packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (pEPR) came into force on 1 January 2025, and with the data regulations, provides new data on total packaging supplied and placed on the UK market by obligated producers. For methodology 2, this new data source is used as the packaging waste arising. The arising data is the total reported tonnages by large and small producers into Reported Packaging Data ( RPD ) system for H1 and H2 of 2024 (as submitted in October 2024 and April 2025).

The pEPR regulations have moved to a single point of obligation (from the previous shared system) and also includes a ‘Distributor’ category. Due to this and the small producer requirement to report data, it is now assumed that nearly all packaging is in scope and should be reported by producers. This means that the full RPD provides an alternative for the total packaging supplied.

The arisings figures for all years exclude exports but include filled and unfilled imports. Because these estimates are recorded at point of manufacture, materials are all separately identifiable and therefore may appear large in comparison to material type estimates based on collected waste, where a substantial proportion of packaging waste will be captured under mixed waste categories

Recovery rate from non-hazardous construction and demolition ( C&D ) waste

Accurately quantifying construction and demolition ( C&D ) waste is challenging and whilst the absolute tonnage figures are subject to a relatively high level of uncertainty, sensitivity analysis suggests there is not a significant impact on the final recovery rate. Whilst efforts were made to synchronise approaches across UK countries, methodologies are not identical. The England methodology was originally devised in conjunction with industry. Estimates are dependent on several key assumptions relating to the role of permitted sites, simple registrations and the volume of aggregate production (this data is provided by the Mineral Products Association). Within the UK, some C&D waste is transferred across borders for treatment, primarily into England. This may slightly inflate the England recovery rate and deflate rates for Devolved Administrations.

Due to a cyber-attack, C&D estimates for Scotland are not available for 2019 and 2020. To calculate a UK figure for 2019 and 2020, the 2018 data for Scotland has been used for 2019 and the 2021 Scotland figure has been used for 2020.

In the February 2019 release, revisions were made to the full time-series for the recovery rate from non-hazardous C&D waste. This was due to updates made to the underlying Mineral Products Association data, following revisions to the ONS construction industry growth index on which their estimates are based. The revisions resulted in increases of 10 to 20% in absolute tonnages for all years, in comparison to the previously published figures. However, as the scale of change was similar for both generation and recovery, this had little impact on the recovery rate, which remains around 90% throughout the time-series.

In the July 2021 release, minor revisions were made to the C&D figures for the UK for 2015 and 2016, due to revised figures from Scotland. The revised data for Scotland takes account of routine revisions of site returns provided by operators and the methodology to estimate C&D metal wastes generated has also been refined.

In the June 2023 release, revisions were made to the C&D figures for the UK for 2011 to 2018, due to revised figures from Scotland. Scotland have revised their methodology for calculation of the C&D recovery rates. Further information on the methodology can be found in section 2.2 of the waste quality report published by Scottish Environment Protection Agency.

In the September 2024 release, revisions have been made to the construction and demolition ( C&D ) figures for England for 2020, due to revised site return data. This change also impacts on the UK C&D figures for 2020.

Waste from commercial and industrial ( C&I ) activities

Data sources and detailed approaches may differ slightly between UK countries, but overarching principles will be consistent.

For the purpose of this statistics release, C&I is defined as a specific collection of economic activities described by NACE (“statistical classification of economic activities in the European Community”). Those considered to be C&I here are (for details see the Europa List of NACE Codes):

C-Manufacturing

D-Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply

E36, E37 and E39-Water collection, treatment and supply, sewerage, remediation activities and other waste management services (excluding sewage sludge)

G-U excluding G4677-Services (except wholesale of waste and scrap)

While considerable effort has been spent reviewing the methodology for England, this remains a very challenging area. Data revisions published in December 2016 identified outstanding issues with the original ‘Reconcile’ methodology. Defra took this opportunity to develop a further modified version alongside industry experts, which was felt to improve the transparency of the methodology and better reflect current waste management processes. Previously published estimates for 2010 and 2012 to 2014 for England have been substantially revised and England estimates for 2011 and 2015 to 2017 have been produced using the same methodology. The latest methodology has been developed with considerable input from industry experts and sense-checked against alternative data sources. As the historical data has been revised using the same methodology, some conclusions can be drawn from changes between years; however caution should still be exercised. Full details of the current methodology are available in the Commercial and Industrial waste arisings methodology revisions for England report.

Due to a cyber-attack, C&I estimates for Scotland are not available for 2020. To calculate a UK figure for 2020, the 2018 data for Scotland has been used for 2020.

In the March 2020 release, the 2017 C&I waste arisings estimate for England has been revised to correct an error in Defra calculations to estimate the proportion of incinerated waste that was attributable to C&I . This correction has resulted in a decrease in the England 2017 C&I estimate of around 1.8 million tonnes (5%).

In the July 2021 release, the 2016 C&I waste arisings estimate for the UK has been revised to correct an error whereby the wet-to-dry weight factors had not been applied correctly to the Northern Ireland data. This correction has resulted in a decrease in the UK 2016 C&I estimate of around 120,000 tonnes.

In the June 2023 release, there has been a minor update to the England industrial figures for 2019 and 2020 to correct a rounding error.

In the September 2024 release, revisions have been made to the C&I figures for England for 2020 and 2021 to correct an error in the calculations. This change also impacts on the UK C&I figure for 2020.

Total waste generation and final treatment of total waste

Total waste generated and treated figures were originally calculated in accordance with the EC Waste Statistics Regulation.

The UK estimates for generation and final treatment of total waste are built up from a large number of estimation processes and draw upon data from WasteDataFlow, Environment Agency permitted site returns and many other sources. Whilst efforts are made to synchronise approaches across UK countries, methodological differences do exist for construction, demolition and excavation ( CD&E ) and C&I waste. All sludges and dredging spoils have been reported dry weight (requiring conversion in some cases). The estimates are primarily designed for reporting at a UK level rather than comparison between UK countries.

The CD&E figures include excavation waste and dredging spoils that are out of scope for the recovery rate shown in Section 7 of this release. ‘Household’ figures are based on the same waste from households measure shown in Section 4, with slight adjustments made to map to the EWC -STAT material categories. Where specific materials (such as glass and plastic) are reported, they represent separately identifiable materials. Residual waste categories will also include some of these materials in a less usable form. Estimates for tonnages received by landfill here are based on Enivronment Agency permitted site returns and differ from estimates published in HMRC Landfill Tax Bulletins which are sourced from landfill tax receipts.

Treatment categories[footnote 1] are:

Recovery means ‘any operation the principal result of which is waste serving a useful purpose by replacing other materials which would otherwise have been used to fulfil a particular function’

means ‘any operation the principal result of which is waste serving a useful purpose by replacing other materials which would otherwise have been used to fulfil a particular function’ Recycling is a subset of recovery and means ‘any recovery operation by which waste materials are reprocessed into products, materials or substances whether for the original or other purposes’. It includes the reprocessing of organic material (for example, composting and anaerobic digestion) but excludes the use as fuels and the use for backfilling operations

is a subset of recovery and means ‘any recovery operation by which waste materials are reprocessed into products, materials or substances whether for the original or other purposes’. It includes the reprocessing of organic material (for example, composting and anaerobic digestion) but excludes the use as fuels and the use for backfilling operations Energy recovery refers to facilities where the main purpose is generation of energy, and formal R1 accreditation has been awarded. Only a subset of these are dedicated to the processing of ‘municipal waste’. Facilities without formal R1 accreditation are reported as ‘Incineration’ rather than ‘Energy Recovery’ even if they produce some energy

refers to facilities where the main purpose is generation of energy, and formal R1 accreditation has been awarded. Only a subset of these are dedicated to the processing of ‘municipal waste’. Facilities without formal R1 accreditation are reported as ‘Incineration’ rather than ‘Energy Recovery’ even if they produce some energy Backfilling means ‘a recovery operation where waste is used in excavated areas (such as underground mines, gravel pits) for the purpose of slope reclamation or safety or for engineering purposes in landscaping and where the waste is substituting other non-waste materials which would have had to be used for the purpose’

means ‘a recovery operation where waste is used in excavated areas (such as underground mines, gravel pits) for the purpose of slope reclamation or safety or for engineering purposes in landscaping and where the waste is substituting other non-waste materials which would have had to be used for the purpose’ Disposal means ‘any operation which is not recovery even where the operation has as a secondary consequence the reclamation of substances or energy’ (for example, landfill, incineration)

Waste generation and treatment are estimated by separate processes and use multiple different data sources which are based largely on administrative data sources. Elements of the calculations will use assumptions where there are data gaps so the figures for generation and treatment will not exactly correlate.

Both generation and final treatment of waste can also be split into hazardous and non-hazardous wastes. The full data covering 2010 to 2022 for England and 2010 to 2020 for the UK, can be found in the accompanying UK statistics on waste dataset.

Due to a cyber-attack, not all data is available for 2020 for Scotland. The 2018 total waste generated and treated for Scotland has been used for 2020 in most cases. Data for 2020 has been used for the following:

Waste generation: waste from households, dredging, mining and sewage

Waste treatment: amount of waste incinerated, amount of waste landfilled, and the amount of dredging and mining waste treated

For 2020, no updated C&I waste survey data was available for Wales. Wales did not re-gross their C&I survey estimates for 2020 given the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic on waste arisings. Therefore the 2018 waste generated data for C&I has been used for 2020 for Wales.

In the February 2019 release, some double-counting of end-of-life vehicles was corrected in historical figures for Scotland and Wales. In the March 2020 update, revisions were made to the 2010 mining waste figures for all UK countries, in line with previous corrections to the slate waste factor. Additional minor revisions were made to data for 2012 and 2014, to correct some double-counting in the previously reported data for Wales.

In the July 2021 release, various revisions were made to the historical data, as a result of minor issues identified while compiling the 2018 data:

Revisions were made to the 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2016 mining waste figures for all UK countries to reflect updated data. As an example, this reduced the UK mining figures in 2016 by 2.3 million tonnes.

Revisions were made to the 2016 waste generation and treatment data for Northern Ireland to correct an error whereby the wet-to-dry weight factors had not been applied correctly

For the 2018 waste generation figures for England, the co-mingled recyclates (recorded as ‘Mixed and undifferentiated’) collected exclusively from households have been separated into the individual materials using proportions derived from composition waste studies carried out by WRAP . We have made revisions to the 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2016 waste generation data, for England, to separate out the co-mingled waste into individual waste types.

Waste infrastructure

The waste infrastructure figures were originally calculated in accordance with the EC Waste Statistics Regulation. Information on infrastructure is based on mandatory reporting of permitted and licensed sites for waste treatment which is collated by the environment agencies in each of the countries in the UK. Categories are defined according to EC guidance. The ‘Energy Recovery’ category only includes facilities where the primary function is generating energy (for example, cement kilns) and Municipal Waste Incinerators that have applied for and been granted formal R1 accreditation (an EC standard on efficiency factors) by the relevant Environment Agency. Small scale ‘ LAPPC ’ (Local Authority Pollution Prevention and Control) incinerators in England have not been included as sufficiently detailed data is not available.

The data excludes facilities that were formally closed throughout 2020 (except landfills) but may include facilities which despite being permitted were non-operational in 2020. Facilities permitted only for treatment operations that are identified as intermediate (which includes most anaerobic digesters) are excluded.

Recovery operations covered by simple exemptions or simple registrations are not included. These operations are classed as low risk or low volume and operators do not have to report activity to Environment Agencies. The permitted capacity of Energy Recovery and Incineration facilities includes municipal and C&I waste and will be higher than the actual volume of waste treated.

In the June 2023 release, there have been minor updates to the number of landfills, energy recovery and incineration sites and their associated capacities for the UK in 2018, due to revised data from Scotland.

12.4 Revisions policy

Defra will provide information about any revisions made to published information in this statistics release and the associated datasets. Revisions could occur for various reasons, including when data from third parties is unavailable or provisional at the time of publishing or if there are subsequent methodological improvements or refinements.