Household recycling and waste processing by council for England

Dear Darren,

Thank you for your request for information regarding ‘Household Waste’ (reference number 11654). Your request was received on the 20/01/24 and I am dealing with it under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and/or Environmental Information Regulations 2004.

In some circumstances a fee may be payable and if that is the case, I will let you know. A fees notice will be issued to you, and you will be required to pay before we will proceed to deal with your request.

If you have any queries about this request, please contact Information Governance on 01254 585852. Alternatively, our email address is [Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council request email]

Please remember to quote the reference number above in any future communications.

Kind Regards

Heather Wolstenholme
Information Governance Officer
Legal and Governance
Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council
Tel: 01254 585651

Post: Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, Legal and Governance Dept, 4th Floor Town Hall, King William Street, Blackburn BB1 7DY
Website: www.blackburn.gov.uk
Email: [email address]

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Dear Darren,

Thank you for your request for information regarding ‘Household Waste’
(reference number 11654); please see our response below. If you have any
queries regarding your request for information then please don’t hesitate
to contact us.

FOI Request and BwD Response Below

I would like to receive the contamination rates for household waste
processed by the council/local authority from April 2023 until the most
recent available data update.

Primarily this should include how much household waste is taken for
recycling purposes and then how much of this waste is in fact recycled.

This should also include how much household waste is sent for incineration
and/or landfill - 

Year 2024/25 2023/24
Waste sent for incineration 30518 tonnes 40314 tonnes
Waste sent to landfill 71 tonnes 94 tonnes
Recycled waste
Paper/card 2935 1821
Glass ,cans, plastics 3377 5796
Garden waste 3185 3776
Street sweepings 1234 1898
Totals 30589 10731 40408 13291
Total waste 41320 53699

The Council commissioned a "waste composition analysis" report in 2023. 
the following are findings from this report in relation to contamination
of recycling bins across the borough.

Glass, cans and plastics recyclables 

Key findings as follows :- 

* Glass made the up the largest item by overall weight of all recyclables
(33%), followed by plastic bottles/pots/tubs/trays (31%, so called ‘dense’
plastics) 

* Contamination – 30%. This consist of both rubbish and non target
recyclables, and included 3% of paper/card which would have been recycled
if placed in the blue bin. However, it is worth noting that contamination
varied greatly across the sample areas

Paper/Card recyclables 

Key findings as follows :- 

* Paper/card comprised as follows :- thin card (24%) , corrugated card
(37%) and non-paper packaging (19%) made up 80% of blue bin contents 

* Contamination – average of 14%, of which just over 2% could have been
recycled in the grey bin.

All waste and recycling details are available via the Government’s
Wastedataflow process that can be accessed directly.                   

If you are unhappy with the service you have received in relation to your
request for information and wish to make a complaint or request a review
of our decision, you should write to: Information Governance Manager,
Information Governance, Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, G Floor,
Town Hall, Blackburn, Lancashire, BB1 7DY or email
[1][Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council request email]

If you are not content with the outcome of your complaint, you may apply
directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision. Generally, the
ICO cannot make a decision unless you have exhausted the complaints
procedure provided by the Council. The Information Commissioner can be
contacted at: The Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water
Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF. 

Please find attached our 'have your say' feedback policy. 

Kind Regards,

Debbie

Debbie Ball

Information Governance Officer

Legal & Governance

Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council

Tel: 01254 585561

Post: Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, IT Dept, 3rd Floor Town Hall,
King William Street, Blackburn BB1 7DY

Website: [2]www.blackburn.gov.uk

Email: [3][email address]

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