More than half of all bulky waste items taken to household waste and recycling centres (HWRCs) could be re-used, according to a new report published by WRAP today (August 16).
The new report,from consultancy Resource Futures, also claims that 40% of bulky items collected at the kerbside, such as sofas and televisions, could be re-used.
Of bulky items taken to an HWRC, 32% were estimated to be re-usable in their current condition, increasing to 51% if items requiring slight repair (but in otherwise good condition) were taken into account.
For items collected at kerbside, 24% were estimated to be re-usable in their current condition, rising to 40% if items requiring slight repair were taken into account.
Composition and re-usability of bulky waste in the UK is the first UK-wide piece of research to look at the composition of bulky waste in the UK, in order to assess the potential for re-use. It follows a report WRAP published last year on the environmental and economic benefits of re-use.
Findings
National estimates derived from WasteDataFlow, the online database for UK municipal waste reporting, suggest that across the UK during 2010/11, some 1.6 million tonnes of bulky waste was collected at the kerbside or taken to HWRCs. Approximately twice as much is taken to HWRCs (1 million tonnes) than is collected at the kerbside (540,000 tonnes).
Using the above data and extrapolating the sample findings across all UK kerbside and HWRC bulky waste collections, the report suggests that of all bulky waste in the UK, (including both kerbside collected and HWRC bulky items), around 42% consists of furniture, 19% textiles and 19% WEEE. These estimates equate to 670,000 tonnes of furniture and 310,000 tonnes each of textiles and WEEE disposed of by householders in the UK annually.
Perception
There is a perception that items, when they reach the HWRC, or are collected at the kerbside, are no longer fit for re-use, yet the report identifies down to specific product level the significant amount of products that are potentially re-usable. It is hoped that this information can help to inform re-use organisations, local authorities and waste management companies of the potential re-use of items that are currently being recycled or disposed.
Mervyn Jones, head of products and materials at WRAP, said: There is a perception that many bulky items taken to household waste and recycling centres (HWRCs) or collected at kerbside are not re-usable. However, this research shows that there is significant re-use potential to be realised from these items.
This research will help local authorities and HWRC operators to remove these items from the waste stream, either for re-sale or for passing on to the third sector.
Research
The research was undertaken by:
Related Links
- Analysing call centre logs for bulky waste kerbside collections;
- Compositional analysis of bulky waste collected at kerbside; and,
- Surveying individuals depositing bulky waste items at HWRCs.
The research found that the most common bulky items taken to HWRCs are televisions, wardrobes and carpets, while the most common for kerbside collection are sofas, mattresses and beds. The full report can be found here.
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