Waste Collections & Recycling data
Case reference FOI2025/00963
Received 10 June 2025
Published 10 July 2025
Last amended 10 July 2025
Request
Please find a Freedom of Information request below. This request relates to district-level waste collection and recycling data, including plastic and aluminium waste, contamination rates and kerbside/non-kerbside collection methods. Within this it also covers how you are preparing for the Deposit Return Scheme starting in 2027.
1. Contractors Please can you provide a list of all contractors of facilities you use for collection of waste and recycling including: - Kerbside collections (e.g. plastic waste dry mixed recycling and aluminium cans; - Non-Kerbside collections – e.g. street bins, bins in public buildings, on-the-go waste. For each can you include: - Services provided; - Contract start and end dates; - Annual or total contract value; - Fee structures – whether they are fixed or variable rates, contamination charges/revenue sharing arrangements etc; - Performance indicators or incentives used including recycling targets, contamination thresholds and any associated bonuses/penalties; - Where possible can the information be broken down by plastic, aluminium, dry mixed recycling; - Collection stream – Kerbside or non Kerbside.
2. Waste Volumes and Collection Methods Please can you provide the annual tonnages collected (2021/22–2023/2024) of: - Plastic bottles — including an estimate of the percentage or volume of PET plastic, where available; - Other plastics; - Dry mixed recycling; - Aluminium cans. If tonnages are estimated rather than measured, please indicate the method of estimation. Can you indicate whether these were collected separately or as part of a co-mingled waste stream. Where possible, can you provide an estimate of the PET plastic content.
3. Contamination and Waste Treatment Outcomes 2021/22 to 2023/2024 Please can you provide annual contamination rates (gross tonnage and percentage) for plastic bottles, other plastics, dry mixed recycling, and aluminium cans between 2021/22 and 2023/2024 by contractor/facility. If tonnages are estimated rather than measured, please indicate the method of estimation. Please also provide the total annual amount (gross and %) of: - Plastic waste recycled vs. incinerated; - Aluminium waste recycled vs. incinerated; - All council-collected waste recycled vs. incinerated.
4. Kerbside and Non Kerbside collections Please describe your role in kerbside and non-kerbside waste and recycling collections. For kerbside collections, please include: - Whether materials (e.g. plastics, aluminium) are collected separately or co-mingled; - Frequency and method of collection; - Any recent or planned changes in response to DRS or EPR; - If on-the-go (public space) bins are part of the system, please include them in your description and identify them separately. For non-kerbside collections (e.g. street bins or bins in public buildings), include: - Whether separate contracts exist; - Materials collected, including plastic and aluminium; - Volumes (2021/2022 – 2023/2024), with percentages and volumes for plastics and aluminium; Contract terms and fees structures with contractors. If tonnages are estimated, please state the method used.
5. DRS and EPR Preparations Please can you provide details of any work undertaken in preparation for the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) and the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR).
Response
In response to your recent request for information I can confirm that data on Local Authority collected waste management figures is publicly available information which can be found via the following website -
https://www.data.gov.uk/dataset/0e0c12d8-24f6-461f-b4bc-f6d6a5bf2de5/waste-data-flow
In particular, the tables starting "Q100" provide information regarding the type of materials being processed for disposal and the amounts in tonnes, as well as information about how the materials were processed (e.g. recycling / exported / composting / incineration with energy recovery etc).
The second set of tables for each reporting year (starting "Waste collection data") provide a breakdown of the specific types and amounts of waste collected, as well as whether the waste was collected from kerbside schemes / commercial, industrial or non household sources / street cleaning etc. This table also provides data on the number of household recycling sacks and wheelie bins offered to households in each year, as well information about incidents of fly tipping and abandoned vehicles.
Please note that our Waste Collection is carried out by an in-house team and is not outsourced to contractors.
Information regarding the Council's approach to DRS and EPR schemes can be found on our website:
https://democracy.guildford.gov.uk/mgAi.aspx?ID=6630
https://democracy.guildford.gov.uk/ieIssueDetails.aspx?IId=7278&PlanId=0&Opt=3
Documents
This is Guildford Council's response to a freedom of information (FOI) or environmental information regulations (EIR) request.
You can browse our other responses or make a new FOI request.