Wet wipe island waste autopsy reveals extent of sewer blockage challenge
Published on: 18 Nov 2025
Read moreDatasets on the composition and characteristics of processed wastes have been collected for many years. Defra commissioned a large study on waste characteristics, published in 2009. What could trend analysis show us about the nature of changing waste arisings on processed waste in response to societal and regulatory changes since then? Some examples include…
- Incinerator bottom ash – robust data sampled and tested under the ESA IBA protocol – trends in levels of bromine linked to use of flame retardants in textiles and waste electronics and battery-related contaminants like nickel, lithium and cobalt.
- Air pollution control residues – decreasing pH with increased lime recycling as part of the flue gas treatment process, but how is the lime use optimised while still meeting ever-reducing emissions compliance limits, including for carbon?
- MBT / MRF residue inputs and outputs – changes in intrinsic biodegradability in response to increased recycling of food and paper/card.
- Feedstock for energy from waste – changing CV, biogenic carbon and contaminant levels as waste wood inputs increase, paper-based commercial waste is down and covid related wastes have settled down.
- Leaching of organic compounds from wastes applied to land – we were previously concerned about metals and dissolved organic carbon, but now there is a wide range of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) to collect evidence on too, such as PFAS and microplastics.
What other nuggets could we find in large anonymised datasets held by WRc and the waste sector on treated wastes?
How do they help us continue to manage wastes sustainably and safely in an evolving circular economy?