AMA Research has published a wide range of reports covering waste management and renewable energy markets though this is the first edition to provide a detailed assessment of the Commercial & Industrial Waste Management Sector.

During the last decade the focus of Central Government and DEFRA agencies, such as WRAP, had been on reducing the amount of municipal solid waste (MSW) and biodegradable municipal waste (BMW) being landfilled. Unlike MSW/BMW, there have been no legislative/regulatory requirements for businesses to reduce waste and increase recycling levels, with the Landfill Tax accelerator the only fiscal incentive. However, many large corporations have undertaken voluntary initiatives, largely underpinned by high public profiles and the need to be seen to be taking action.

From 2010, the focus of Government and WRAP has been shifting towards reducing waste arisings and increasing recycling in the C& I sector. However, a key barrier to this has been a lack of regular and robust data on C & I waste arisings and management, a factor that is largely due to the highly fragmented nature of the C & I sector.

DEFRA’s first survey of C & I waste arisings in England was for the year 2002/03, but more than seven years had lapsed when the second survey was published in 2011. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency has carried out more regular surveys of business waste arisings but there is limited data on the management of C & I waste. Two surveys have also been carried out on C & I waste arisings and management in Wales, but the most recent only relates to 2007. A couple of studies have also been published on C & I waste management in Northern Ireland, the most recent relating to 2008.

This AMA report pulls together the data from all these surveys but also provides a large amount of original research based upon company credit data, regional waste management studies, information from a wide range of independent /non-government sources, the national environment agencies, regional development agencies and waste management company websites.

The focus of this report is less on providing a UK overview than providing an analysis of C & I waste arisings and management in each of the regions in England and the other three home nations. This is primarily because the economic profiles of each of the regions are distinct from one another and consequently the waste mixes differ as do the approaches to managing waste. For example, in rural areas there are generally higher levels of organic waste arisings and the use of anaerobic digestion and composting as treatment methods. In some industrialised regions there are large chemicals works that require treatments in accordance with the Hazardous Waste Directive. Moreover, while a few large waste management companies have nationwide coverage, most 2nd tier contractors operate at a regional or local level.

In reviewing waste management approaches in reach of the regions the focus is on dry waste recycling and food waste treatment as these are the preferred methods for dealing with C & I waste. Not included are activities such as plastics, metals or WEEE (waste electrical and electronic equipment) reprocessing.