Transfer and Treatment in 2006

Summary

87 million tonnes of waste went to permitted transfer and treatment facilities in England and Wales in 2006 compared to 76 million that went to landfill and incineration. Inputs to treatment facilities continued to grow (up 10%), particularly inputs to materials recovery (MRF), physico-chemical treatment (MBT), and composting facilities.

Inputs to waste transfer and treatment facilities

Waste inputs to transfer facilities increased only marginally but a review of reporting categories (to reflect the requirements of the hazardous waste directive) showed an increase of 4.8 million tonnes in inputs to civic amenity sites balanced by a reduction of 4.5 million tonnes in inputs to other types of transfer activity.

• Waste inputs to treatment facilities continued to increase rapidly. The rapid increase up to 2005 was due largely to waste inputs to one physical waste/water treatment plant in the North East region, but the increases that occurred during 2006 went largely to the types of treatment plant that deal with municipal waste - materials recovery and composting plant and physico-chemical treatment (MBT).
• Inputs to materials recovery facilities (MRFs) quadrupled in the period between 2000/1 and 2006 - an increase in throughput of 5 million tonnes per annum.
• Inputs to licensed composting facilities also grew rapidly from 2001, up five times to more than 2.3 million tonnes in 2006. These data refer only to licensed facilities, there are also many smaller-scale composting facilities operating under waste management exemption for which we receive no annual returns.