Welsh Industrial and Commercial Waste Survey

The Environment Agency is required to produce information on the composition, quantities, origins and destinations of current and predicted future arisings of waste streams, including commercial & industrial, household and construction and demolition. This information is needed for EU Waste Statistics Regulations, to inform the new Waste Strategy review, and also for the public and private sectors to plan future waste recycling and disposal facilities in order to divert waste away from landfill.

As part of this information-gathering process, the Environment Agency Wales (on behalf of the Welsh Assembly Government) undertook an Industrial and Commercial (I&C) Waste Production Survey for Wales covering the 2007 calendar year. WRc provided statistical support for the design, implementation and analysis of the new I&C survey, which was undertaken between June 2008 and February 2009.

Data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) was used to estimate the total number of Industrial & Commercial waste businesses in Wales and a database created with queries to gross-up the raw survey tonnage figures from 1500 companies to produce regional and national estimates of waste arisings. Through careful design of the survey, thorough data checking and detailed statistical analysis, the project was successful in estimating total waste arisings to within +/- 4%.

The results were published on time in April 2009, and the database launched in May 2009.

For more information contact Andrew Davey on andrew.davey@wrcplc.co.uk