Commercial and Industrial Waste Survey 2003
Lead Researchers: Lori Frater , Jeroen Dijkshoorn
Background
There is an increasing demand for accurate and consistent empirical waste data from policy makers and regulators to enable them to fulfil European waste targets and to undertake strategic planning. In 2003, the National Waste Survey for England and Wales was undertaken to provide much of this vital empirical information. In Wales the survey was conducted by the ESRC Centre for Business Relationships, Accountability, Sustainability and Society in partnership with the Environment Agency Wales. This was the largest waste survey to be conducted in Wales, involving site visits of over 2,000 companies across the country. Participation was voluntary and site based and all information was collected in confidence. The survey collected information on the types and quantities of waste disposed by these organisations, the method of waste management preferred and the destinations of the disposed wastes. Nearly 11,000 waste streams were collected.
13 surveyors travelled across Wales visiting not only large industrial organisations but also small companies with only 3 and more employees. A separate telephone survey was conducted of companies with only 1 to 2 employees. The survey spans a broad section of industrial sectors and includes a representative cross section of companies and organisation operating in Wales today. Some of the main sectors included in the survey are: food processing, the manufacturing of parts for cars and aviation, also highlighted are industries revolving around the manufacturing of metals and machinery. Other important areas include biotechnology, public administration, tourism and service industries.
The commercial and industrial waste survey conducted in Wales is a part of a larger national survey being conducted by the Environment Agency in England and Wales and the results from the survey will provide national and regional tonnage figures of waste disposed by commercial and industrial organisations.
• Collected data on all commercial and industrial waste streams from 2,210 participating businesses and organisations across Wales;
• Analysed trends relating to waste material production from different industrial sectors and from different locations using collected data and comparative data from an initial waste arising survey in 1998/99;
• Identified particular problem materials, issues, areas or waste management problems that needed to be brought to the attention of the waste management industry, regulators, policy makers and other;
• Provided waste data to the waste management sector to enable them to plan appropriate waste management facilities;
• Identified the requirements needed to ensure adequate and appropriate provision of facilities for more sustainable and integrated management of commercial and industrial waste;
• Established a waste database for Wales that allows companies to compare their waste production with that of similar companies in their industry sector and link to sources of support for waste minimisation methodologies;
• Support and inform the Welsh National Waste Strategy, the UK Waste Strategy, and the reporting requirements of the EU.
Data collection and reporting categories
13 surveyors conducted 2,144 on-site survey visits of companies across Wales with an employment range of 3 and above. A standardised questionnaire was used to collect data on the following:
• Number of Employees;
• Types of waste (EWC Code);
• Quantity (either by weight or container type, size and quantity;
• Whether waste was special;
• The physical form of the waste;
• The waste management option;
• The waste contractor;
• Initial and final destination of the waste; and
• The cost of or income from the disposal.
The data was collected in predetermined categories to ensure consistency:
• Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) was used to identify business sector - we grouped these into 22 groups for sampling (compared to the 32 groups used for the 1998/9 survey);
• EWC (European Waste Catalogue) was used to categorise waste type – we used the Substance Oriented Classification of the EWC adopted for reporting under the EU Waste Statistics Regulation; this groups waste into 8 main categories and 13 subcategories;
• A standard set of conversion factors to calculate weights where only data on volumes of waste were available;
• Standard lists were also developed to define waste management options, container types, waste form (solid, liquid, sludge, etc.) and local authorities.
Data Cleansing and Validation
At the end of the survey, all data was transferred to the Environment Agency to undergo a further process of data cleansing. This was to ensure all waste streams were appropriate and fell within the definition of commercial and industrial controlled waste, that wastes amounts were not excessive for the type and size of industry. Volumes of waste were converted into tonnage using conversion factors based on EWC code. With tonnage figures for each waste stream a complex process of grossing up the figures to achieve total and national figures was conducted. The process involves calculating the total grossed up weight for each sector/size band, or the grossed up weight for each site, and then adding these together to calculate the grand total grossed up weight.
Response Rate
The final response rate was 97%. However, numerous replacements were required as a substantial proportion of companies in the sample had either ceased to trade or had moved to another location, perhaps either outside of Wales or the UK.
Estimation
A complex set of statistical calculations were developed to generate estimates of the types and quantities of waste produced by sector group and region/sub-region, methods of disposal and recovery used.
Accuracy of Data
This survey achieved a precision of +/- 3.5% at a 90 percent confidence level for total industrial and commercial waste. Users should therefore treat the information provided as the best estimate from a range
Key Findings
Waste Data
Businesses in Wales produced 5.3 million tonnes of waste in 2002-3, compared to 6.1 million tonnes in 1998-9, a fall of 14%. 4.2 million tonnes came from industry and 1 million tonnes from the commercial sector. Only 28% of the C&I waste went to landfill compared to 40% in 1998-9 and recycling or re-use increased from 53% in 1998-9 to 62%. (Source: Environment Agency Wales)
Production of commercial and industrial waste by different business sectors in Wales 2002-3
http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/regions/wales/816243/1220048/1223323/1234868/?version=1&lang=_e
Disposal and Recovery Methods
http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/regions/wales/816243/1220048/1223323/1234870/?lang=_e
Regional Distribution
http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/regions/wales/816243/1220048/1223323/1234872/?lang=_e
General
• Many businesses are unaware of Duty of Care Regulations.
• Little recycling is carried out due to lack of provisions and facilities from the council, lack of storage for recycling containers at the premises.
• Monitoring of waste expenditure was not always common practice, especially with smaller businesses, which would perhaps benefit the most from this.
• Majority of small businesses (less than 20 employees) had no Environmental Policy.
• Energy, waste, water, packaging, materials recycling or re-use was not a common occurrence and usually only one or two of these practices were carried out if any.
Outputs
1. Contributions to Books
a. Frater, L. (2005) Sustainable Waste Management, The Challenge for Welsh Business, Research Handbook on Corporate Legal Responsibility, (Ed., Tully, S.), Edward Elgar
2. Reports
a. Frater, L (2007) Commercial & Industrial Waste: Collecting Waste Data – The Pros & Cons of Available Methods
b. Frater L, (2005) Commercial and Industrial Waste Survey Wales 2003: Final Report Hines F. (Ed)
c. Frater L & Dijkshoorn J (2005) Commercial and Industrial Waste Production Survey: Business Awareness amongst Welsh Companies
d. Frater, L., (2004) Keep Wales Tidy Retail Waste Survey: Final Report
3. Articles
a. Frater, L. & Lee, R., 2008, Surveying Waste Arisings and Developing Waste Policy: Problems & Pitfalls, Journal of Law & Society, 35s1, 52-66
b.Sarkis J, Dijkshoorn J. (2005) Relationships between Solid Waste Management Performance and Environmental Practice Adoption in Welsh SMEs. International Journal of Production Research
4. Presentations
a. Frater, L. & Lee, R. Data, Data Everywhere nor any time to think, W.G. Hart Legal Workshop, London, June 2005
b. Frater, L. The impact of economic and political geography on the implementation of 3R strategies, Association of American Geographers, 100th Annual Conference, Philadelphia, 2004
c. Frater, L., & Hines, F., The waste challenges for Local Authorities in Wales, LARAC, April 2004
d. Frater, L & Hines F, Commercial & Industrial Waste Survey 2003: Public Sector, WAG Public Sector Waste Minimisation Steering Group, March 2003
e. Frater, L, Waste Management in Welsh Businesses, IEMA, November 2003
5. Business Briefings
Dijkshoorn, J (2005) Frater, L (Ed)
During the Commercial & Industrial waste survey it became apparent that many businesses sought simple guidance and information on waste legislation and waste management. The purpose of these business-briefing notes is to provide some assistance to companies in improving their knowledge about waste legislation and waste management. These briefing notes have been split into 3 series. Series 1 deals with waste legislation (Landfill, Duty of Care and Hazardous Wastes), series 2 with specific commercial and industrial sectors and series 3 with specific waste types. They will be published weekly on these web pages from Friday 7 January 2005.
Please click on the highlighted sections below to download the following leaflets:
Series 1: Legislation and your Business
1.1 Landfill Regulations and your business (January 7th, 2005)
1.2 Duty of Care and your business (January 14th, 2005)
1.3 Hazardous Waste and your business (January 21st, 2005
Series 2: Commercial and Industrial Sectors
2.1 Waste Management and the Tourism and Leisure Industry (January 28th, 2005)
2.2 Waste Management and the Food and Drink Industry (February 4th, 2005)
2.3 Waste Management in Veterinary and Dental Practices (February 11th, 2005)
2.4 Waste Management in Wood Related Industries (February 18th, 2005)
2.5 Waste Management in the Automotive Industry (February 25th, 2005)
Series 3: Individual Waste Types
3.1 Packaging Waste (March 4th, 2005)
3.2 Hazardous Waste (March 11th, 2005)
3.3 Electrical and Electronics Waste (March 18th, 2005)
3.4 ELV Waste (March 25th, 2005)
6. Working Papers
a. J. Sarkis, L. Frater & J. Dijkshoorn "An exploratory evaluation of economic and environmental efficiency of solid waste management in Welsh small and medium-sized enterprises", WP 31
b. Frater, L., 2008, The Impact of Economic & Political Geography on the Implementation and Application of 3R Strategies, WP47, ISBN 978-1-906644-06-2
Partners and Funding
The two prime partners in the Commercial and Industrial Waste Survey 2003 are the BRASS Centre, Cardiff University and Environment Agency Wales (EAW). Whilst EAW provided some of the funding the major source of survey funding was provided by the Landfill Tax Credit Scheme (LTCS) operated by Biffaward. The landfill tax credit scheme was introduced with the landfill tax in October 1996 and enables landfill site operators to donate up to 6.8 per cent of their landfill tax liability to environmental projects in return for a 90 per cent tax credit. These projects should conform to one of six objects set for the LTCS. The LTCS was designed to help mitigate the effects of landfill upon local communities. It encourages partnerships between landfill operators, their local communities and the voluntary and public sectors.
The objects of the LTCS are:
a. Projects that involve reclaiming land, the use of which has been prevented by some previous activity;
b. Projects that reduce or prevent pollution on land;
c. Projects that provide or maintain public amenities or parks within 10 miles of a landfill site;
d. Delivery of biodiversity conservation for UK species habitats;
e. Projects to restore or repair buildings for religious worship, or of architectural or historical interest within 10 miles of a landfill site;
f. Projects fund the cost of administrative, financial or other similar services, supplied to other enrolled environmental bodies (EBs).
Objects C and CC of the landfill tax regulations were removed on the 1st April 2003
ESRC Centre for Business Relationships, Accountability, Sustainability & Society (Partner)
The ESRC Centre for Business Relationships, Accountability, Sustainability and Society exists to understand and promote the key issues of sustainability, accountability and social responsiveness, through research into key business relationships. The Centre will pursue a research agenda based on academic excellence, relevance to key user groups and accessibility in dissemination.
Environment Agency Wales (Partner & Funder)
Environment Agency Wales is an Assembly Sponsored Public Body (ASPB), while also being part of the corporate Environment Agency for England and Wales. As an ASPB, they obtain much of their funding and direction from the Welsh Assembly Government, and report back to them. As part of the dynamic Welsh environmental sector they are able to pursue, in partnership with others, innovative solutions that are specifically tailored to meet the needs of Wales. They have wide responsibilities for managing the environment:
• Acting as a champion for the environment
• Reducing pollution and enforcing pollution legislation
• Overseeing the management of waste, water resources and freshwater fisheries
• Reducing the harm caused by flooding
• Influencing others to achieve positive environmental outcomes by changing attitudes and behaviour
Biffaward (Funder)
In December 1997 Biffa Waste Services agreed to donate landfill tax credits to the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts (RSWT) to administer under the fund name Biffaward. The partnership created a unique combination of a landfill site operator, with unparalleled expertise in waste management, and an environmental charity with expertise in grant giving, environmental issues and nature conservation
