Summary Report Local authority commercial waste services … waste services... · 2019-05-09 · Local authority commercial waste services survey 2011/12 – England 4 1.0 Introduction

Local authority commercial waste services survey 2011/12 – England 1

V1.3 Project code: BHC005-001 Date: April 2013

Summary Report

Local authority commercial waste

services survey 2011/12 –

England

This report provides a summary of the key findings from a comprehensive survey of commercial waste and recycling services provided by local authorities in England.


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Contents

1.0 Introduction ................................................................................................. 4 2.0 Summary of key findings .............................................................................. 4 3.0 Methodology overview and response rates .................................................. 5

3.1 Response rate ........................................................................................... 5 4.0 Results and analysis ..................................................................................... 6

4.1 Recycling rate ............................................................................................ 6 4.2 Basic survey .............................................................................................. 6

4.2.1 Collection services ........................................................................... 6 4.2.2 ‘Drop-off’ services .......................................................................... 12

4.3 Full survey .............................................................................................. 15 4.3.1 Collection service provision ............................................................. 15 4.3.2 Charging for services ..................................................................... 20 4.3.3 Drivers and barriers to commercial waste services ............................ 22

Appendix 1 – Data tables ..................................................................................... 27

Acknowledgements

Our thanks to all the local authorities that took part in the business waste services survey for 2011/12.


1.0 Introduction This report provides an overview of the position of local authority commercial waste and recycling services in England for 2011/12. It presents the key findings of the survey through graphical representation with a brief accompanying narrative. Similar reports have been produced for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. 2.0 Summary of key findings Approximately, 82% of English authorities provide a commercial residual waste service and 61% provide a commercial recycling service (either a collection or ‘drop-off’ facility). Compared to results of a similar survey in 20101, the numbers are increasing; from 65% for residual waste and from 43% for recycling services. Approximately 68% of WCA and unitary authorities in England offer a residual waste collection and 49% provide a recycling service. Compared to 2010, residual waste services have remained stagnant while the number of authorities offering a recycling service has increased from 43%. The proportion of local authorities in England offering commercial collection services is lower than other countries within the UK. Comparison with other nations also shows England has a much higher incidence of private sector contractors providing commercial collection services. Around 75% of authorities provide their residual service in-house as do 77% of authorities providing a commercial recycling service. Just over half (58%) of the local authorities offering a residual waste service have no restriction on their service and 43% restrict their service geographically. The majority of collections are via dedicated collection rounds. Again around half (47%) of authorities offering a recycling service do not restrict their service, while 48% restrict their service geographically and the majority of recycling collections are also via dedicated rounds. The provision of residual waste and recycling collections in England appear to be more flexible than in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland i.e. collections may be more frequent and a wider range of collection frequencies may be offered. In more rural areas the cost per business of providing a more frequent collection will be higher than in a dense urban environment (more common in England). Similarly, in more densely populated areas it is more likely that a collection will pass any given business multiple times in a week. The four key drivers prompting local authorities in England to provide a commercial recycling collection service are reputation and leading by example, demand from customers, income or income protection and to avoid disposal costs. For those authorities not currently offering a commercial recycling service the key barriers were identified as little or no financial incentive, the fact that it was not a statutory requirement and lack of capital budget to set up the service. Approximately 40% of WDA and unitary and 9% of WCA authorities in England provide at least one ‘drop-off’ facility for commercial residual waste and 34% of WDA and unitary authorities and 7% of WCAs provide a ‘drop-off’ facility for commercial recycling. The key drivers cited by local authorities to provide such services are reputation and leading by

1 Local authority trade waste and recycling survey 2010, WRAP

http://www.wrap.org.uk/sites/files/wrap/TW%20survey%20report%20v1.9.pdf


example, to reduce mis-use of household service, income or income protection, to optimise existing resources and demand for services. 3.0 Methodology overview and response rates A detailed questionnaire was prepared and entered into a web-enabled survey tool. The survey sought to obtain information on:

Commercial residual waste and recycling collection services provided by local authorities or their contractors; and

Commercial residual waste and recycling ‘drop-off’ services – i.e. Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs), Waste Transfer Stations (WTSs) and commercial bring banks – provided by local authorities or their contractors.

Data was pre-filled where possible and the relevant local authority officers were sent links and requested to complete the survey online. A specialist survey team was recruited to contact local authority commercial waste officers to offer assistance in completing the survey. The survey data received was then validated, cleansed and the results compiled in a format suitable for analysis. Excel and SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) were used to carry out the analysis of the data. 3.1 Response rate Completed full surveys were successfully collected from 69% of local authorities in England (Table 1). For the remaining 31% of authorities, a more basic survey was completed by reference to authority web-sites and through conversations with other non-specialist officers. Data was therefore collected to at least a basic level for 100% of all local authorities in England. Response rates for England were similar to those achieved in Wales and for the UK as a whole, though slightly lower for the full survey than those achieved for Scotland and Northern Ireland. In England there are a growing number of local authorities delivering commercial waste services in partnership. Where these partnerships exist only one response was sought. This accounts for the 347 total responses shown in Table 1, rather than the total number of local authorities in England (359).

Table 1 Local authority survey response rates 2011/12

Country Full Survey Basic Survey

Number Percentage Number Percentage

England* 238 69% 109 31%

Wales 15 68% 7 32%

Scotland 24 75% 8 25%

N Ireland 21 81% 5 19%

UK 298 70% 129 30%

*Where commercial waste services are offered in partnership a response was only sought from the lead authority


4.0 Results and analysis The results of the survey are represented graphically wherever possible, with brief accompanying text to describe the findings. ‘N=’ in the graphs, refers to the number of respondents to that particular question. 4.1 Recycling rate Commercial recycling rate data were obtained from WasteDataFlow2 (WDF) for the period April 2010 to March 2011 (2010/11). This was the most recent data available at the time of reporting. It should be noted that the way in which WDF records commercial waste tonnage data only allows a recycling rate for commercial waste collections to be calculated (i.e. not including drop-off services). This is because household and non-household material collected for recycling at drop-off sites is not consistently separated for each nation. Therefore for data to be comparable a commercial recycling rate for collection only has been calculated. The required WDF data were available for 185 of the English local authorities and an average commercial recycling rate of 21% was calculated for England. This is the third highest average recycling rate of all the nations with Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales achieving 13%, 27% and 28% respectively (Table 2). However, it is important to note again that these recycling rates do not take into account commercial waste and recycling from drop off sites. The recycling rate (% of collected waste recycled) was calculated as the material collected for recycling from non-household sources (WDF Q11) as a proportion of total material collected from non-household sources (collected recycling WDF Q11 + collected commercial and industrial non-household waste WDF Q23).

Table 2 Average recycling rates for collected commercial waste for 2010/11, by nation (Based on data from WasteDataFlow)

4.2 Basic survey

4.2.1 Collection services Figure 1 shows that 68% of authorities in England provide a commercial residual waste collection service (215 collection or unitary authorities)) and 49% provide a commercial recycling collection (155 collection or unitary authorities)). The proportion of local authorities offering a residual waste collection in England is significantly lower than for the

2 WasteDataFlow is the web based system for municipal waste data reporting by UK local authorities to governments. See http://www.wastedataflow.org/

Nation Average recycling rate (%) Number of authorities to

which average applies

England 21% 185

Wales 28% 17

Scotland 27% 24

Northern Ireland 13% 11

UK 22% 237


rest of the UK (Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland combined), which shows a combined figure of 99%. In Wales and Northern Ireland 100% of local authorities offer a commercial residual waste collection and this figure is 97% in Scotland. The proportion of local authorities offering a commercial recycling collection in England is also lower than for the rest of the UK (combined figure of 78%). Approximately 86% of authorities in Wales, 84% in Scotland and 62% in Northern Ireland offer a commercial recycling service. The differences between England and the other nations are largely attributable to the more complicated arrangements for the governance of waste through WDAs and WCAs in two-tier areas in England. In total approximately 74% of local authorities in the UK as a whole offer a commercial residual waste service and 55% offer a commercial recycling service.

Figure 1 Collection/unitary authorities offering commercial waste collection services in England (residual n=320; recycling n=316) and the rest of the UK (residual n=80; recycling n=80) in 2011/12

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The map in Figure 2 shows the distribution of local authorities in England offering commercial residual waste and/or recycling collection services. It clearly illustrates that there are significant regional variations in service provision within England. For example, Yorkshire and Humber, the North East and London have a relatively high proportion of authorities offering commercial residual waste and recycling collection services, whilst in the East Midlands and the South West the proportion is much lower.


Figure 2 English authorities offering a commercial waste collection service in 2011/12

In terms of service provider for commercial residual waste collections, Figure 3 illustrates that in England of the 215 local authorities providing a commercial residual waste collection service, approximately 75% deliver the service in-house and 25% use external contractors. This is slightly different than in the other nations where most residual services are delivered


in-house (Wales 91% of authorities offering the service, Scotland and Northern Ireland 100%). In total approximately 81% of local authorities offering a commercial residual waste collection in the UK as a whole deliver their service in-house and 19% make use of external contractors.

Figure 3 Service providers for commercial residual waste collections by nation for UK local authorities in 2011/12

Figure 4 illustrates the type of service provider for commercial recycling collections. In England, the situation is similar to that described above for residual waste collections. Approximately 77% of the 155 local authorities offering a commercial recycling collection in England deliver their collections in-house and 23% make use of external contractors. Again the use of external contractors is much more common in England than in the other nations. In Wales approximately 95% of authorities offering a commercial recycling collection deliver the service in-house. In Scotland this figure is 96% and in Northern Ireland it is 88%. In total approximately 82% of local authorities offering a commercial recycling collection in the UK as a whole deliver their service in-house and 18% make use of external contractors.

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Figure 4 Service providers for commercial recycling collections by nation for UK local authorities in 2011/12

The different recyclable materials collected by the 155 local authorities offering a recycling collection service in England are shown in Figure 5. The most common materials collected by local authorities are paper (94%) and cardboard (97%). For the UK as a whole, approximately 94% of authorities offering a recycling collection service collect paper and 93% collect cardboard. These materials are produced by almost all businesses and therefore it is not unexpected that local authorities across the four nations target these materials as part of their commercial waste services. Paper is collected by a similar proportion of authorities across all four nations, though the proportion collecting cardboard is higher in England. Cans are collected by approximately 72% of authorities in England, compared with 75% of authorities for the UK as a whole. Plastics (mixed and/or bottles) are collected by approximately 68% of authorities compared with 70% for the UK as a whole. Approximately 43% of local authorities collect mixed plastics and 39% collect plastic bottles in England. Around 14% of authorities collect both mixed plastics and plastic bottles. Approximately 66% of local authorities in England offering a commercial recycling collection service collect glass and this is the same figure as for the UK as a whole. Around 63% collect mixed glass and 15% collect glass colour separated in England. Approximately 12% of authorities in England collect both colour separated and colour mixed glass. Commercial food waste is collected for recycling by 9% of local authorities in England, compared with 15% for the UK as a whole. Approximately 8% of authorities in England collect cooked/raw food waste and 2% have collections that accept raw vegetable food waste only. Commercial green waste is collected by 10% of authorities compared with 13% for the UK as a whole.

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Figure 5 Recyclable materials collected by local authorities in England offering a commercial recycling service in 2011/12 (n=155)

4.2.2 ‘Drop-off’ services In terms of the provision of ‘drop-off’ facilities, approximately 40% of WDA and unitary and 9% of WCA authorities in England provide at least one ‘drop-off’ facility – i.e. Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC), Waste Transfer Station (WTS) or commercial bring site – for commercial residual waste. For Wales this figure is 32%, Scotland 66% and Northern Ireland 65%. 34% of English WDA and unitary authorities and 7% of WCAs provide a ‘drop-off’ facility for commercial recycling. Key drivers that were cited for providing such services were:

Reputation/leading by example To reduce mis-use of household services Generate or protect income Optimise existing resources Demand

Analysis of the commercial recyclable materials accepted at HWRCs in Figure 6 shows that there is a bigger range of materials accepted for recycling by most authorities at HWRCs than via commercial collections in England. Two of the most common materials accepted by local authorities in England are paper (80%) and cardboard (87%). For the UK as a whole, approximately 81% of authorities accepting commercial materials for recycling at HWRCs accept paper and 87% accept cardboard. Cans are accepted at HWRCs by approximately 67% of authorities in England, compared with 75% of authorities for the UK as a whole. Plastics (mixed and/or bottles) are accepted by approximately 73% of authorities compared with 76% for the UK as a whole.

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Approximately 40% of authorities accept mixed plastics and 53% accept plastic bottles at HWRCs in England. Around 20% of authorities accept both mixed plastics and plastic bottles. Approximately 67% of local authorities in England accepting commercial recycling at HWRCs accept glass (excluding flat glass) and this compares with 71% for the UK as a whole. Around 53% collect mixed glass and 50% collect glass colour separated in England. Approximately 37% of authorities in England accept both colour separated and colour mixed glass. Commercial food waste is accepted for recycling at HWRCs by 10% of local authorities in England and this is the same figure for the UK as a whole. All of these authorities accept cooked/raw food waste and none limit the service to raw vegetable food waste only. Commercial green waste is accepted by 73% of authorities compared with 76% for the UK as a whole. Other metals are accepted for recycling at HWRCs by 67% of authorities, textiles 57%, bulky items 27% and wood 50%. For the UK as a whole the comparable are 68% for other metals, 66% for textiles, 34% for bulky items and 54% for wood.

Figure 6 Recyclable materials accepted at HWRCs by local authorities in England providing this commercial service in 2011/12 (n=30)

Figure 7 shows the range of commercial materials accepted for recycling at WTSs by the 28 local authorities in England that provide this service. Only two local authorities in Wales, seven in Scotland and none in Northern Ireland accept commercial material for recycling at WTSs. Therefore no comparisons with UK figures are made in the discussion below as the sample size for the other nations is too small.

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As with HWRCs, two of the most common materials accepted by local authorities in England are paper (57%) and cardboard (64%). Cans are accepted at WTSs by approximately 39% of authorities and plastics by 43%. Approximately 32% of local authorities accept mixed plastics and 36% accept plastic bottles, around 25% of authorities accept both mixed plastics and plastic bottles. Approximately 54% of local authorities in England accepting commercial recycling at WTSs accept glass (excluding flat glass). All of these authorities accept mixed glass and approximately 29% accept colour separated. Commercial food waste is accepted for recycling at WTSs by 7% of local authorities in England. All of these authorities accept cooked/raw food waste and 4% accept raw vegetable food waste only. Commercial green waste is accepted by 61% of authorities. Other metals are accepted for recycling at HWRCs by 43% of authorities, textiles 29%, bulky items 25% and wood 43%.

Figure 7 Recyclable materials accepted at WTSs by local authorities in England providing this commercial service in 2011/12 (n=28)

Commercial materials are also accepted for re-use at HWRCs at some local authorities in England. Of the 30 local authorities accepting commercial recycling at HWRCs, seven specified that they do not accept materials for re-use at these sites. Of the remaining 23 authorities, only six provided information on the specific types of materials they accept for re-use. These are textiles, WEEE, bulky items and soil. Of the 28 local authorities accepting commercial recycling at WTSs, 12 specified that they do not accept materials for re-use at these sites. Of the remaining 16 authorities, only four provided information on the specific types of materials they accept for re-use. These are textiles, WEEE, bulky items, hardcore and soil.

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4.3 Full survey The full survey was completed by 69% of authorities in England and as such the results that follow are representative of this group of local authorities, or a sub-set of these authorities in cases where responses to every question were not received. Sample sizes are shown on each graph and table. 4.3.1 Collection service provision Those providing a commercial residual waste and/or recycling collection service were asked to respond to a closed question asking about the frequency of service provision. There were five response options provided:

More than once per day (MtOD) Daily More than once per week (MtOW) Weekly Fortnightly

Respondents could tick all that applied to the authority in question, and therefore various combinations of responses were received, as shown in Figure 8 (for residual collection services) and Figure 9 (for recycling collection services). These results show that in England residual waste collections tend to be offered slightly more frequently and flexibly than recycling collections. The assumption here is that each authority operates a single commercial residual waste and/or recycling scheme and the frequency of collection is tailored to the customers’ requirements. In terms of frequency, 12% of local authorities in England offer a collection of residual waste more than once per day to at least some of their customers, 49% offer a daily collection, 66% offer more than once per week, 77% weekly and 49% fortnightly. This compares to 8% of authorities offering a recycling collection frequency of more than once per day to at least some of their customers, 25% offering a daily collection, 34% offering more than once per week, 78% weekly and 62% offering a fortnightly service. For the UK as a whole the comparable figures for residual waste collections are more than once per day 9%, daily 45%, more than once weekly 65%, weekly 78% and fortnightly 50%. For recycling collections the UK figures are more than once per day 5%, daily 21%, more than once weekly 32%, weekly 78% and fortnightly 61%. The provision of residual waste and recycling collections in England appear more flexible than in the other nations. This is largely because few authorities offer a residual waste or recycling collection more frequently than daily. The greater frequency and flexibility seen in English authorities may relate to the greater proportion of urban authorities. Areas with large commercial centres are likely to require more frequent services with collections made in the busiest city centres in some cases more than once daily. In more rural areas the cost per business of providing a more frequent collection will be higher and it is less likely that a collection will pass any given business multiple times in a week.


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sFigure 8 Frequency of English local authority commercial residual waste collections in 2011/12 (n=151)

Figure 9 Frequency of English local authority commercial recycling collections in 2011/12 (n=99)

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Table 3 and Table 4 present the round configuration for the commercial residual waste and recycling services provided by authorities in England, compared to other nations, for those authorities who responded to these questions. Commercial services can be configured so that collections are made using dedicated vehicles, in vehicles that are also being used to collect household material (co-collected) or by using a mix of the two approaches (combination). In England it is most common for commercial residual waste to be collected via a dedicated round (58%, Table 3). In terms of recycling (Table 4), approximately 68% of local authorities in England operate a dedicated round configuration. This is a considerably higher proportion than in any of the other nations, particularly Wales (15%) and Northern Ireland (20%).

Table 3 UK local authority commercial residual waste collection round configuration in 2011/12

Nation Number of responses

Dedicated round

Co-collection Combination

England 159 58% 21% 20%

Wales 16 25% 50% 25%

Scotland 26 35% 46% 19%

Northern Ireland 20 65% 15% 20%

UK 221 54% 26% 20%

Table 4 UK local authority commercial recycling collection round configuration in 2011/12


Dedicated round

Co-collection Combination

England 108 68% 17% 16%

Wales 13 15% 54% 31%

Scotland 24 42% 17% 42%


UK 155 56% 23% 21%

Table 5 shows that the majority of authorities in England that answered this part of the survey either do not require commercial residual waste customers to have a minimum contract length (46%) or require a contract length of 12 months (31%). Table 6 shows that for recycling 47% of authorities do not require a minimum contract length and a further 27% require a 12 month contract.


Table 5 Minimum contract length requirements for UK local authority commercial residual waste collections in 2011/12


No minimum contract

3 months

6 months

12 months

Other

England 145 46% 10% 3% 31% 10%

Wales 16 19% 6% 0% 63% 13%

Scotland 26 38% 15% 4% 35% 8%

Northern Ireland

20 55% 0% 5% 40% 0%

UK 207 43% 9% 3% 35% 9%

* Numbers may not add to 100% due to rounding

Table 6 Minimum contract length requirements for UK local authority commercial recycling collections in 2011/12


No minimum contract

3 months

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12 months

Other

England 98 47% 10% 5% 27% 11%

Wales 13 38% 8% 0% 38% 15%

Scotland 24 50% 4% 4% 33% 8%

Northern Ireland

10 60% 0% 0% 40% 0%

UK 145 48% 8% 4% 30% 10%

* Numbers may not add to 100% due to rounding Only 11% of authorities in England that provide a residual waste collection service and that responded to this part of the survey require residual waste customers to also use their recycling service (Figure 10). This is similar to Scotland (12%) and Northern Ireland (15%), though Wales is considerably higher (33%). Requiring customers to use the recycling service is a mechanism through which commercial recycling could be encouraged by authorities. Conversely, customers not wishing to use the recycling service may find an alternative residual waste service provider.


Figure 10 Requirement by local authorities in England for commercial residual waste customers to also use recycling service in 2011/12 (n=144)

Figure 11 shows that 58% of authorities in England that provide a residual waste collection service and that responded to this part of the survey have no restriction on their residual service. Approximately 4% (5 authorities) limit the number of customers they serve and 43% have some geographical coverage restrictions on service provision. The comparable figures for the UK as a whole are 64% no service restriction, 3% capped customer numbers and 38% geographical restrictions. Of the four UK nations, England has the lowest proportion of authorities imposing no restrictions. For recycling services, 47% of authorities have no restrictions, 7% (six authorities) restrict the number of customers they serve and 48% have geographical restrictions. The comparable figures for the UK as a whole are 54% no service restriction on commercial recycling collection services, 6% capped customer numbers and 41% geographical restrictions. Again England has the lowest proportion of authorities imposing no restrictions on their commercial recycling collection services of all four nations.

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Figure 11 Types of restriction placed on local authority commercial residual waste and recycling collection services in England in 2011/12 (residual waste, n=136; recycling collection, n=87)

4.3.2 Charging for services In England, 88% of authorities that responded to this question do not charge separately for provision of Duty of Care3 for residual waste collections, and 91% do not charge separately for Duty of Care for recycling collections (Table 7). This practice is similar across the other three nations, where the majority of local authorities do not charge separately for Duty of Care provision for either residual waste or recycling collections.

Table 7 UK local authorities charging separately for Duty of Care (DoC) for commercial residual waste and recycling collections in 2011/12

Nation Number of responses Separate DoC charge No separate DoC charge

Residual Recycling Residual Recycling Residual Recycling

England 143 100 12% 9% 88% 91%

Wales 15 13 13% 23% 87% 77%

Scotland 26 24 12% 4% 88% 96%

Northern Ireland

20 9 15% 0% 85% 100%

UK 204 146 12% 9% 88% 91%

3 The ‘Duty of Care’ is a law which says that you must take all reasonable steps to keep waste (household, commercial and industrial) safe. It applies to everyone involved in handling the waste, from the person who produces it to who finally disposes/recovers it. In practice the Duty of Care sets out a chain of responsibilities, which incur costs to the handler, including the identification and description of the waste, keeping the waste safely, transfer to the right person, audit and compliance.

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Table presents the results regarding bin rental charges. The majority of local authorities in England that responded to this part of the survey do not charge separately for bin rental for their commercial residual waste collections (62%), though a significant proportion do charge (38%). For commercial recycling collections, approximately 84% of authorities do not charge separately for bin rental. Overall local authorities tend not to make separate charges for Duty of Care and bin rental. This is different to the approach common in the private sector where lower headline bin lift prices are advertised and supplemented by additional charges for other elements of the service. Local authorities could compete more transparently with the private sector by itemising these charges or being clearer that their prices are ‘fully inclusive’ of all charges.

Table 8 UK local authorities charging separately for bin rental for commercial residual waste and recycling collections in 2011/12

Nation Number of responses Separate bin rental charge

No separate bin rental charge

Residual Recycling Residual Recycling Residual Recycling

England 146 99 38% 16% 62% 84%

Wales 15 13 40% 23% 60% 77%

Scotland 26 24 23% 17% 77% 83%

Northern Ireland

21 11 10% 0% 90% 100%

UK 208 147 33% 16% 67% 84%

Of the 154 local authorities in England that offer both a residual waste and recycling collection service, 98 responded to questions relating to the comparison of residual waste and recycling collection charges (Table 9). Approximately 92% of those authorities charged less for their commercial recycling collection service than they did for their residual waste collection service. A differential pricing structure is one method by which authorities can encourage commercial recycling and it should be surprising, given disposal costs, that there are any UK authorities that do not seek to pass on the lower costs of recycling to their commercial waste customers.

Table 9 UK local authorities charging less for commercial recycling collections than for residual waste collections in 2011/12


Recycling charge lower than

residual waste charge

Recycling charge higher than

residual waste charge

England 98 92% 8%

Wales 15 93% 7%

Scotland 24 96% 4%

Northern Ireland 13 100% 0%

UK 150 93% 7%


4.3.3 Drivers and barriers to commercial waste services Local authorities were asked a range of questions designed to help better understand the drivers and barriers to the provision of commercial waste services. Respondents were able to select multiple options from a predetermined list in response to these questions, therefore the charts presented in this section may total to more than 100%. Sample sizes presented within chart titles are the total number of authorities who responded to each question. Figure 12 shows that the most common reasons why local authorities provide a commercial residual waste collection (drivers) are for income or income protection (64%), demand for the service (63%), to meet regulations (63%) and reputation/leading by example (49%). For the UK as a whole the reasons for providing a commercial residual waste service were: regulations (65% of local authorities), demand (64%), income or income protection (58%), reputation (42%) and to optimise resources (30%). It is more common for local authorities in England to offer a commercial residual waste collection service as a means of generating income or to protect an income stream and for reputational reasons than in any other nation. The most common reasons why local authorities in England provide a commercial recycling collection (drivers) are shown in Figure 13. These are: reputation (71%), demand for the service (65%), for income or income protection (61%), to avoid disposal costs (54%), to optimise resources (47%) and to reinforce household recycling (39%). For the UK as a whole the reasons for providing a commercial recycling service were: demand for the service (67%), reputation and leading by example (64%), to avoid disposal costs (50%), for income or income protection (48%), to reinforce household recycling (43%), to optimise resources (42%) and to meet regulations (36%). It is more common for local authorities in England to offer a commercial recycling collection for income or income protection and reputation than in any other nation.

Figure 12 Reasons why local authorities in England provide commercial residual waste collection services in 2011/12 (drivers) (n=131)

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Figure 13 Reasons why local authorities in England provide commercial recycling collection services in 2011/12 (drivers) (n=92)

Seventy-two of the 105 local authorities in England that do not offer a commercial residual waste collection service provided information about the barriers preventing them from providing such a service. The most common reasons given were: little or no financial incentive (53%), strong competition locally (49%), not a statutory requirement (42%), existing contract arrangements (38%) and lack of capital budget to set up the service (38%). Eighty-three of the 161 local authorities in England that do not offer a commercial recycling collection service provided information about the barriers preventing them from providing such a service.

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Figure 14 shows the most common reasons for not providing a recycling service were: little or no financial incentive (51%), no statutory requirement to provide one (46%) and lack of capital budget to set up the service (45%).


Figure 14 Reasons why local authorities in England do not provide commercial recycling collection services in 2011/12 (barriers) (n=83)

For those local authorities not currently offering commercial recycling collections in England, Figure 5 shows what may prompt them to do so. The most common response was financial support, which was mentioned by 60% of authorities (or 46 of the 77 authorities who answered this question).

Figure 15 Support identified by local authorities in England as important for implementing a commercial recycling collection service, 2011/12 (n=77)

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It is interesting to note that in England, more so than in the rest of the UK, several authorities provide commercial recycling services for financial gain. Of those that do not, a common reason for not doing so is lack of financial incentives. Similarly many authorities identified financial support as the encouragement they would need to start providing a commercial recycling service. There seems therefore to be a disconnect between the financial reality fully recovering the cost service operation experienced by many of those providing a commercial recycling service, and the perception amongst many of those who do not provide such a service that to do so would be too expensive.


Appendix 1 – Data tables Table 1 - UK local authorities offering commercial residual waste collection services in 2011/12

Total number of LAs

% of LAs that offer a residual service

% of LAs not offering a residual service

England 320 68% 33%

Wales 22 100% 0%

Scotland 32 97% 3%


UK 400 74% 27%

* Numbers may not add to 100% due to rounding. Table 2 - UK local authorities offering commercial recycling collection services in 2011/12

Total number of LAs

% of LAs that offer a recycling service

% of LAs not offering a recycling service

England 316 49% 51%

Wales 22 86% 14%

Scotland 32 84% 16%


UK 396 55% 45%

* Numbers may not add to 100% due to rounding. Table 3 - UK local authorities offering commercial residual waste and recycling collection services in 2011/12

Total number of LAs

% of LAs that offer both a residual and recycling service

% of LAs that offer a residual service only

% of LAs that offer a recycling service only

England 155 71% 28% 0%

Wales 19 86% 14% 0%

Scotland 27 87% 13% 0%


UK 217 73% 26% 0%

* Numbers may not add to 100% due to rounding.


Table 4 - Service provider for UK local authorities offering a commercial residual waste collection service, 2011/12

Total number of LAs

% of LAs that provide residual waste service in-house

% of LAs that provide residual waste service using a contractor

England 215 75% 25%

Wales 22 91% 9%

Scotland 31 100% 0%


UK 294 81% 19%

* Numbers may not add to 100% due to rounding. Table 5 - Service provider for UK local authorities offering a commercial recycling collection service, 2011/12

Total number of LAs

% of LAs that provide recycling service in-house

% of LAs that provide recycling service using a contractor

England 155 77% 23%

Wales 19 95% 5%

Scotland 27 96% 4%


UK 217 82% 18%



Table 6 - Materials collected for recycling by UK local authorities offering a commercial recycling collection service, 2011/12

% of total LAs

England Wales Scotland

Northern Ireland UK

Paper 94% 89% 93% 94% 94%

Cardboard 97% 79% 85% 81% 93%

Cans 72% 89% 85% 63% 75%

Other metals 17% 32% 4% 38% 18%

Mixed plastic 43% 58% 37% 38% 43%

Plastic bottles 39% 47% 52% 50% 42%

Plastic - both mixed & bottles 14% 21% 11% 25% 15%

Plastic - mixed &/or bottles 68% 84% 78% 63% 70%

Mixed glass 63% 74% 33% 44% 59%

Clear glass 15% 5% 48% 6% 18%

Green glass 15% 5% 48% 6% 18%

Brown glass 15% 5% 48% 6% 18%

Glass - both colour mixed & separated 12% 5% 11% 0% 11%

Glass - colour mixed &/or separated 66% 74% 70% 50% 66%

Textiles 6% 5% 7% 13% 6%

Food - vegetables / uncooked / cooked 8% 58% 11% 25% 14%

Food - vegetables / uncooked only 2% 0% 4% 0% 2%

Food - vegetables / uncooked &/or cooked 9% 58% 11% 25% 15%

Green waste 10% 21% 19% 31% 13%

Soil 2% 0% 0% 6% 2%

Vegetable oil 1% 0% 0% 0% 0%

Batteries 3% 0% 4% 0% 2%

WEEE 4% 5% 0% 13% 4%

Bulky items 6% 16% 0% 0% 6%

Wood 5% 5% 0% 6% 4%

Hardcore 3% 0% 0% 6% 3%

Asbestos 1% 0% 0% 0% 0%

Other 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%

Total number of LAs 155 19 27 16 217

* Numbers may not add to 100% as multiple answers could be given.


Tables 7a & b - Frequency of collection for UK local authorities providing a commercial residual waste collection service, 2011/12

% of total LAs

7a - Overall frequencies England Wales Scotland Northern

Ireland UK

MtOD 12% 0% 4% 0% 9%

Daily 49% 28% 50% 24% 45%

MtOW 66% 56% 82% 48% 65%

Weekly 77% 83% 82% 81% 78%

Fortnightly 49% 50% 61% 48% 50%



% of total LAs

7b - Frequency combinations England Wales Scotland Northern

Ireland UK

MtOD 3% 0% 0% 0% 2%

MtOD, Daily 1% 0% 0% 0% 0%

MtOD, Daily, MtOW, Weekly 2% 0% 4% 0% 2%

MtOD, Daily, MtOW, Weekly, Fortnightly 6% 0% 0% 0% 4%

MtOD, Weekly 1% 0% 0% 0% 0%

Daily 10% 6% 0% 5% 8%

Daily, MtOW, Weekly, 9% 6% 7% 5% 8%

Daily, MtOW, Weekly, Fortnightly 21% 17% 29% 14% 21%

Daily, Weekly, 0% 0% 7% 0% 1%

Daily, Weekly, Fortnightly 1% 0% 4% 0% 1%

MtOW 8% 6% 18% 5% 9%

MtOW, Weekly 7% 0% 0% 10% 6%

MtOW, Weekly, Fortnightly 14% 28% 25% 14% 17%

Weekly 12% 33% 4% 29% 14%

Weekly, Fortnightly 5% 0% 4% 10% 5%

Fortnightly 2% 6% 0% 10% 3%




Tables 8a & b - Frequency of collection for UK local authorities providing a commercial recycling collection service, 2011/12

% of total LAs

8a - Overall frequencies England Wales Scotland Northern

Ireland UK

MtOD 8% 0% 0% 0% 5%

Daily 25% 13% 15% 0% 21%

MtOW 34% 40% 33% 0% 32%

Weekly 78% 100% 81% 40% 78%

Fortnightly 62% 40% 63% 80% 61%



% of total LAs

8b - Frequency combinations England Wales Scotland Northern

Ireland UK

MtOD 1% 0% 0% 0% 1%

MtOD, Daily 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%

MtOD, Daily, MtOW, Weekly 2% 0% 0% 0% 1%

MtOD, Daily, MtOW, Weekly, Fortnightly 5% 0% 0% 0% 3%

MtOD, Weekly 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%

Daily 4% 0% 0% 0% 3%

Daily, MtOW, Weekly, 1% 0% 4% 0% 1%

Daily, MtOW, Weekly, Fortnightly 10% 13% 11% 0% 10%

Daily, Weekly, 2% 0% 0% 0% 1%

Daily, Weekly, Fortnightly 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%

MtOW 4% 0% 7% 0% 4%

MtOW, Weekly 1% 0% 0% 0% 1%

MtOW, Weekly, Fortnightly 10% 27% 11% 0% 11%

Weekly 22% 60% 26% 20% 27%

Weekly, Fortnightly 24% 0% 30% 20% 23%

Fortnightly 12% 0% 11% 60% 14%


* Numbers may not add due to rounding.


Table 9 - Requirement by UK local authorities providing a commercial recycling collection service for customers to also use their recycling service , 2011/12

Total number of LAs

% of LAs that require residual waste customers to also use recycling service

% of LAs that do not require residual waste customers to also use recycling service

England 144 11% 89%

Wales 15 33% 67%

Scotland 26 12% 88%


UK 205 13% 87%

* Numbers may not add to 100% due to rounding. Table 10 - Types of restrictions placed on commercial residual waste collection services provided by UK local authorities, 2011/12

% of total LAs

Total number of LAs

No service restriction

Capped customer numbers

Geographical coverage

Other restriction

England 136 58% 4% 43% 0%

Wales 14 79% 0% 21% 0%

Scotland 23 70% 0% 30% 0%

Northern Ireland 19 84% 0% 16% 0%

UK 192 64% 3% 38% 0%

* Numbers may not add to 100% as multiple answers could be given. Table 11 - Types of restrictions placed on commercial recycling collection services provided by UK local authorities, 2011/12

% of total LAs

Total number of LAs

No service restriction

Capped customer numbers

Geographical coverage

Other restriction

England 87 47% 7% 48% 0%

Wales 10 80% 0% 20% 0%

Scotland 20 60% 5% 35% 0%

Northern Ireland 9 78% 11% 11% 0%

UK 126 54% 6% 41% 0%



Table 12 - Reasons why UK local authorities provide a commercial residual waste service (drivers), 2011/12


Northern Ireland

UK


% of total LAs

Regulations 63% 85% 79% 50% 65%

Reputation and leading by example

49% 23% 29% 22% 42%

Central government strategy

11% 0% 21% 0% 10%

Misuse of household residual waste services

18% 15% 17% 22% 18%

To optimise resources

33% 23% 33% 11% 30%

Income and income protection

64% 23% 58% 33% 58%

Demand 63% 69% 54% 83% 64%

Other 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%



Table 13 - Reasons why UK local authorities provide a commercial recycling service (drivers), 2011/12


Northern Ireland

UK


% of total LAs

Regulations 29% 62% 45% 40% 36%

Reputation and leading by example

71% 38% 55% 50% 64%

To reinforce household recycling

39% 31% 70% 40% 43%

Central government strategy

25% 15% 35% 10% 24%

Misuse of household recycling services

13% 31% 20% 30% 17%

To optimise resources

47% 38% 40% 10% 42%

National indicators 13% 54% 40% 0% 20%

To avoid disposal costs

54% 38% 45% 30% 50%

Income and income protection

61% 15% 35% 0% 48%

Demand 65% 62% 80% 70% 67%

Reduction in LATS exposure

22% 23% 15% 0% 19%

Other 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%



Table 14 - Reasons why UK local authorities do not provide a commercial residual waste service (barriers), 2011/12


Northern Ireland

UK


% of total LAs

Strong competition locally

49% n/a 0% n/a 48%

Existing contract arrangements

38% n/a 100% n/a 38%

Not a statutory requirement

42% n/a 0% n/a 41%

Little or no financial incentive

53% n/a 0% n/a 52%

Capital budget to set up service

38% n/a 0% n/a 37%

Human resource 24% n/a 0% n/a 23%

Lack of knowledge / expertise

11% n/a 0% n/a 11%

Infrastructure limitations

29% n/a 0% n/a 29%

LATS exposure 10% n/a 0% n/a 10%

Other 0% n/a 0% n/a 0%



Table 15 - Reasons why UK local authorities do not provide a commercial recycling service (barriers), 2011/12


Northern Ireland

UK


% of total LAs

Strong competition locally

34% 0% 0% 22% 31%

Existing contract arrangements

28% 100% 33% 0% 26%

Not a statutory requirement

46% 0% 67% 44% 46%

Little or no financial incentive

51% 0% 0% 22% 46%

Capital budget to set up service

45% 0% 33% 67% 46%

Human resource 33% 0% 33% 33% 32%

Lack of knowledge / expertise

12% 0% 0% 0% 10%

Infrastructure limitations

35% 0% 33% 22% 33%

LATS exposure 6% 0% 0% 0% 5%

Other 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%

* Numbers may not add to 100% as multiple answers could be given. Table 16 - Support identified by UK local authorities as important for implementing a commercial residual waste service, 2011/12

% of total LAs

Total number of LAs

Guidance on how to start / manage / operate a service

More specific, dedicated support

Financial support

Further policy drivers Nothing Other

England 71 15% 20% 58% 37% 30% 0%

Wales 0 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a

Scotland 1 0% 0% 0% 100% 0% 0%

Northern Ireland 0 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a

UK 72 15% 19% 57% 38% 29% 0%



Table 17 - Support identified by UK local authorities as important for implementing a commercial recycling service, 2011/12

% of total LAs

Total number of LAs

Guidance on how to start / manage / operate a service

More specific, dedicated support

Financial support

Further policy drivers Nothing Other

England 77 19% 23% 60% 38% 27% 0%

Wales 1 0% 0% 0% 0% 100% 0%

Scotland 3 0% 33% 67% 67% 0% 0%

Northern Ireland 8 0% 13% 88% 13% 13% 0%

UK 89 17% 22% 62% 36% 26% 0%

* Numbers may not add to 100% as multiple answers could be given. Table 18 - UK local authorities offering commercial residual waste drop-off services in 2011/12

% of total LAs

Total number of LAs

Household waste recycling centre (HWRC)

Commercial bring site

Waste transfer station (WTS)

Total offering drop-off service

No drop-off service

England* 347 10% 1% 11% 20% 80%

Wales 22 14% 0% 18% 32% 68%

Scotland 32 41% 6% 34% 66% 34%

Northern Ireland 26 62% 0% 4% 65% 35%

UK 427 15% 1% 13% 27% 73%

* Numbers may not add to 100% as multiple answers could be given. * For England, further breakdown indicates 40% of WDAs and Unitary Authorities provide at least one drop-off facility and 9% of WCAs. Table 19 - UK local authorities offering commercial recycling drop-off services in 2011/12

% of total LAs

Total number of LAs

Household waste recycling centre (HWRC)

Commercial bring site

Waste transfer station (WTS)

Total offering drop-off service

No drop-off service

England 347 9% 1% 8% 17% 83%

Wales 22 23% 0% 9% 32% 68%

Scotland 32 53% 0% 22% 66% 34%

Northern Ireland 26 62% 0% 0% 62% 38%

UK 427 16% 1% 9% 24% 76%

* Numbers may not add to 100% as multiple answers could be given. * For England, further breakdown indicates 34% of WDAs and Unitary Authorities provide at least one drop-off facility and 7% of WCAs.


Table 20 - Materials accepted for recycling by UK local authorities at household waste recycling centres (HWRCs), 2011/12

% of total LAs


Northern Ireland UK

Paper 80% 60% 82% 88% 81%

Cardboard 87% 80% 88% 88% 87%

Cans 67% 60% 82% 88% 75%

Other metals 67% 60% 59% 81% 68%

Mixed plastic 40% 40% 47% 56% 46%

Plastic bottles 53% 40% 65% 69% 59%

Plastic - both mixed & bottles 20% 20% 29% 44% 28%

Plastic - mixed &/or bottles 73% 60% 82% 81% 76%

Flat glass 23% 40% 6% 31% 22%

Mixed glass 53% 20% 35% 63% 49%

Clear glass 50% 20% 65% 56% 53%

Green glass 50% 20% 65% 56% 53%

Brown glass 50% 20% 65% 56% 53%

Glass - both colour mixed & separated 37% 20% 18% 38% 31%

Glass - colour mixed &/or separated 67% 20% 82% 81% 71%

Textiles 57% 60% 71% 81% 66%

Food - vegetables / uncooked / cooked 10% 20% 6% 13% 10%

Food - vegetables / uncooked only 0% 0% 6% 13% 4%

Food - vegetables/uncooked &/or cooked 10% 20% 6% 13% 10%

Green waste 73% 60% 76% 88% 76%

Soil 37% 60% 35% 25% 35%

Vegetable oil 23% 20% 29% 50% 31%

Batteries 37% 20% 41% 63% 43%

WEEE 33% 20% 47% 50% 40%

Bulky items 27% 20% 29% 56% 34%

Wood 50% 20% 47% 81% 54%

Hardcore 40% 20% 35% 31% 35%

Asbestos 7% 0% 0% 6% 4%

Other 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%




Table 21 - Materials accepted for recycling by UK local authorities at waste transfer stations (WTSs), 2011/12

% of total LAs


Northern Ireland UK

Paper 57% 50% 57% n/a 57%

Cardboard 64% 100% 43% n/a 62%

Cans 39% 100% 29% n/a 41%

Other metals 43% 0% 29% n/a 38%

Mixed plastic 32% 100% 43% n/a 38%

Plastic bottles 36% 0% 14% n/a 30%

Plastic - both mixed & bottles 25% 0% 14% n/a 22%

Plastic - mixed &/or bottles 43% 100% 43% n/a 46%

Flat glass 11% 50% 0% n/a 11%

Mixed glass 54% 100% 14% n/a 49%

Clear glass 32% 50% 14% n/a 30%

Green glass 29% 50% 14% n/a 27%

Brown glass 29% 50% 14% n/a 27%

Glass - both colour mixed & separated 32% 50% 0% n/a 27%

Glass - colour mixed &/or separated 54% 100% 29% n/a 51%

Textiles 29% 50% 14% n/a 27%

Food - vegetables / uncooked / cooked 7% 50% 0% n/a 8%

Food - vegetables / uncooked only 4% 0% 0% n/a 3%

Food - vegetables/uncooked &/or cooked 7% 50% 0% n/a 8%

Green waste 61% 0% 57% n/a 57%

Soil 25% 0% 14% n/a 22%

Vegetable oil 14% 50% 29% n/a 19%

Batteries 18% 50% 14% n/a 19%

WEEE 29% 50% 14% n/a 27%

Bulky items 25% 50% 57% n/a 32%

Wood 43% 50% 57% n/a 46%

Hardcore 39% 50% 43% n/a 41%

Asbestos 14% 0% 0% n/a 11%

Other 0% 0% 0% n/a 0%




Table 22 - Materials accepted for re-use by UK local authorities at household waste recycling centres (HWRCs), 2011/12

% of total LAs


Northern Ireland UK

Textiles 10% 40% 29% 38% 24%

WEEE 10% 0% 6% 6% 7%

Bulky 3% 20% 0% 13% 6%

Hardcore 0% 20% 6% 6% 4%

Soil 7% 40% 6% 6% 9%

Other 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%

Total accepting materials for re-use 20% 40% 29% 38% 28%

Total not accepting materials for re-use 23% 20% 47% 50% 35%


* Numbers may not add to 100% as multiple answers could be given. Table 23 - Materials accepted for re-use by UK local authorities at household waste transfer stations (WTSs), 2011/12

% of total LAs


Northern Ireland UK

Textiles 4% 0% 0% n/a 3%

WEEE 7% 0% 0% n/a 5%

Bulky 4% 0% 0% n/a 3%

Hardcore 14% 0% 0% n/a 11%

Soil 14% 0% 0% n/a 11%

Other 0% 0% 0% n/a 0%

Total accepting materials for re-use 14% 0% 0% n/a 11%

Total not accepting materials for re-use 43% 100% 86% n/a 54%



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Summary Report Local authority commercial waste services … waste services... · 2019-05-09 · Local authority commercial waste services survey 2011/12 – England 4 1.0 Introduction