Compositional Waste Analysis and Future Potential for the Recycling System (Part 1)

Albion Environmental Ltd. can help you to estimate the future potential for your recycling system, carrying out Compositional Waste Analysis of Residual Waste. The main purposes of the analysis are:

• Provide details of the quantity of each material type going to the residual bin collection system operated by the Council.
• Try and identify the quantity of waste which could be recycled from the residual collection.

METHODOLOGY

The analysis would be conducted in accordance with the Zero Waste Scotland (ZWS) Guidance (Version 1.3 July 17th 2013):

• Sample sizes were reduced to 20.
• In order to further improve the statistical accuracy of the analysis, socio-economic profiling can be used and the 100 bin sample can be weighted to represent differing ACORN classifications for the Council area. A sample of 20 households can be selected from each ACORN group.

DATA ANALYSIS

In this first instalment, it will be revised the analysis of the data by weekly total and by ACORN classification:

• Analysis data by weekly total: please see the first picture below. It shows the analysis data by weekly total. The first chart shows percentage of waste by weight (weekly average) and the second chart percentage waste by volume (weekly average). Both charts show data from the complete analysis, which in this case is a 100-bin sample. In this example, the largest portion of waste by weight was ‘Food Waste’. The next largest was ‘Healthcare Waste’ at 14%; followed by ‘Paper & Card’ at 12%; then ‘Plastic Film’ at 8%, then ‘Dense Plastics’, ‘Glass Wastes’ and ‘Textiles & Footwear’ all at 6%. Please see in the picture the conclusions for the waste by volume chart.

• Analysis data by ACORN classification: please see the second and third pictures. A range of housing types was selected by ACORN classifications to try and get as large a cross section of the community as possible. The percentage of waste versus weight by ACORN Classification and the percentage of waste versus volume by ACORN Classification was studied. 

As it can be seen in the picture above, ‘Food Waste’ is the largest percentage in all of the categories. The amount of ‘Glass Waste’, ‘Paper & Card’, ‘Dense Plastic’ and ‘Plastic Film’ is relatively consistent between all five ACORN categories. There are considerable variations in some categories, for example, ‘Healthcare Waste’ which is mainly as a result of nappies.

As it can be seen in the picture above,‘Plastic Film’ is the largest type of waste throughout all of the ACORN groups. The volumes of ‘Plastic Film’, ‘Dense Plastic’, ‘Paper & Card’, ‘Food Waste’, ‘Metals’ and ‘Plastic Bottles’ are fairly consistent throughout all of the ACORN groups.

In following instalments the analysis of data by waste subcategories will be studied.

ALBION ENVIRONMENTAL IS WILLING TO HELP YOU

Please feel free to contact us to resolve any queries in relation to Compositional Analysis of Residual Waste. Our experienced staff will be here to help and estimate the potentialities that your current recycling system has.