Conducting A Household Waste Analysis

The purpose of conducting a household waste analysis is to provide details of the quantity of each material type going to the residual bin collection system operated by Local Authorities. This enables the councils to observe the current recyclables still going to landfill and also what other wastes may be recycled in the future.

 

Typically 150 residual bins are analysed throughout the analysis which is equivalent to anywhere between two to four tonnes. The council will arbitrarily select differing council tax banded areas and arrange to have a certain amount of bins randomly uplifted from each area. For more accurate results, a waste analysis should be conducted four times a year to represent seasonal variation.

 

The analysis should be conducted in a sheltered area on firm level ground with adequate ventilation & lighting and also should be segregated from all other activities with access to the area controlled.  Waste is usually brought to the analysis area in a ‘bin lorry’ and deposited on the floor. The waste is then manually sorted into 18 different main categories and a further 13 sub-categories (if required) then placed into 240 litre bins. Heavy duty scales are used to record the weights of the bins when empty then full, while volumes are estimated at the time of emptying.

 

PPE for the analysis includes safety boots, hi-viz, overalls and gloves with suitable RPE provided and worn as required. To avoid repetitive bending & lifting, litter picking sticks are used to pick out individual items of waste and waste/bin bags are lifted carefully onto a sorting table of about waist height prior to opening & sorting.

Identified or suspected needles and syringes are isolated and dealt with in accordance with the associated needle stick procedures. A competent first aider with knowledge of needle stick injuries is present on site at all times. Needle stick injuries are rare, but pose serious risks, the risk of contracting a disease such as Hepatitis B is small, but the outcome can be serious.

After the analysis a report is produced detailing all results and sent to the local authority. The report is produced in PDF format with the raw data recorded in tables and graphs in an Excel workbook. A Powerpoint presentation can also be produced at the request of the council along with a presentation to council staff. Each waste analysis is different and will depend on the location and time of year e.g. garden waste will be a lot higher in the summer months than in winter months.

 

Albion Environmental have provided several clients recently with Waste Composition Analysis to provide details of the quantity of each material type going to the residual bin collection system operated by Local Authorities. This enables the councils to observe the current recyclables still going to landfill and also what other wastes may be recycled in the future.

 

Recent on site analyses have included: 

 These have included Household and Civic Recycling Centre Sites wastes for analysis.