The UK recycled 7.6 million tonnes of organic waste for recycling in 2012, it has been revealed.

The ‘Annual Survey of the UK Organics Recycling Industry’ (ASORI), published by the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) yesterday (9 October), found that 1.7 million tonnes of organic waste was sent to anaerobic digestion (AD) for treatment last year, while a further 5.9 million tonnes was composted.

Commissioned ‘to quantify the processing of organic wastes in the UK via a survey of key facilities’, the report focuses on sites involved in ‘composting, anaerobic digestion (AD) and mechanical and biological treatment (MBT).’ It was led by a partnership consisting of WRAP, the Organics Recycling Group (ORG), the Anaerobic Digestion and Biogas Association (ADBA), the Renewable Energy Association (REA) and the Environmental Services Association (ESA).

Anaerobic digestion

The report suggests that anaerobic digestion is ‘continuing to drive growth’ in the sector, with 34 new sites coming on-line since 2010. While a direct comparison with figures from 2010 is not possible due to different sampling methods, the total volume of organics waste processed via AD suggests 82 per cent utilisation within the total operating capacity of AD facilities (estimated to be 2.07 million tonnes).

The largest source of non-agricultural feedstock to AD was found to be food, with around a third of this derived from local authority waste collections.

According to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ AD Action Plan, published in August, there are currently 110 AD plants in the UK, with planning permission having been granted for a further 200.

Composting

Open Air Windrow (OAW) remained the most common process used for composting organic waste, with 81 per cent of composting sites favouring the process. However, nearly 40 per cent of the material processed was treated by In-Vessel Composting (IVC), partly due to the use of IVC in combination with OAW.

In terms of outputs, composting volumes grew by four per cent on the 2010 data, rising to 5.9 million tonnes. The majority of organic waste input to composting sites was separated green/garden waste (63 per cent of total inputs), followed by mixed food and green waste (26 per cent), separated food waste (five per cent) and ‘other’ material, such as manure, wood and ‘sewage sludge’ (six per cent).

The overall market value was also found to have grown by £2.2 million between 2010 and 2012 (a 24 per cent increase), bringing the value of the composting industry to £11.4 million. This, the report found, was largely attributable to the ‘overall increase in outputs’.

Mechanical Biological Treatment

MBT facilities accepted 2.51 million tonnes of mixed waste input, which goes on to produce an organic output. Dry recyclates such as plastic, made up 11 per cent of total outputs by weight, the organic waste stream made up 22 per cent, solid recovered fuel (SRF) or Refuse derived fuel (RDF) made up 51 per cent of total outputs, while inerts, aggregates, and ‘other’ outputs mad up the remaining 16 per cent of total outputs.

England was found to have the most capacity for dealing with organic waste, with just over five million tonnes of organic waste being processed in English IVC facilities. England also made up the bulk of AD processes, with over 3.5 million tonnes of organic waste being sent for digestion. Northern Ireland and Wales handled the least amount of organic waste, with input totals (for all processes) coming in at 160,000 tonnes and 220,000 tonnes respectively.

Notably, in Scotland, MBT inputs almost doubled between 2010 and 2012 (rising from 1.3 million to 2.5 million tonnes), due to ‘an increase in the number of MBT facilities coming on-line between 2010 and 2012, plus the reclassification of four Scottish IVC facilities as MBTs’.

Encouraging Growth

Reflecting on the latest findings, Ian Wardle, Head of Organics and Energy at WRAP, added: “It’s really positive to see continued growth across the sector. The report highlights some great things for the industry particularly around continued growth, improved quality and opportunities to generate higher revenue. The industry has always provided an excellent response to the survey with this year’s being the most comprehensive yet”.

Charlotte Morton, Chief Executive of the ADBA, said that the survey showed ‘encouraging growth’ in anaerobic digestion.

She added: “The UK is becoming a leading country for AD for a whole range of organic waste streams, including on-site treatment of liquid effluents and food waste from municipal and commercial collections.

“However we still have a long way to go to realise our potential: the figures show that even following the industry’s growth, AD only treats about seven per cent of UK food waste. We need to continue to work to overcome barriers to on-going industry development, including food waste policy in England, the threat of degression in the small scale feed-in tariff and continued uncertainty over the level of support for heat use.”

Last month, Shadow Environment Secretary Mary Creagh said that should the Labour Party come into power in 2015, it would introduce a ban on sending food waste to landfill. This could further increase the amount of organic waste sent for recycling.

The proposition follows on from increased focus on organic waste in the devolved governments; Northern Ireland’s Department of the Environment recently launched a consultation on introducing restrictions on the landfilling of food waste, while Ireland has already announced plans to ban food waste from landfill, with Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Phil Hogan, signing new Household Food Waste Regulations in March of this year.

Scotland's new waste regulations will also see a ban on biodegradable municipal waste going to landfill from 1 January 2021.

Read the ‘Annual Survey of the UK Organics Recycling Industry’ 2012.