Waste Laboratory Services

Specialist sample preparation and testing of feedstock, residues and products.

Carolina Cabrera is our expert in Waste Laboratory Services

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We're up for the challenge

WRc has specialist facilities for preparing bulky and challenging samples for onward analysis. We have a range of shredders, grinders and disc mills suitable for a wide variety of large volume wastes, fuels, feedstocks, residues and products.

Our technical experts are able to undertake bespoke test set-ups on products and wastes to accommodate non-routine test requirements. These include: 

  • variable time frames,
  • running tests at different seed to substrate ratios to assess microbial inhibition,
  • undertaking sacrificial testing for compound biodegradation studies, to inform environmental fate and behaviour studies.

WRc’s waste characterisation laboratories are UKAS accredited to ISO/IEC 17025:2017 for a suite of tests on untreated and treated solid wastes. We are also BCS-approved for the Residual Biogas Potential (RBP) test, the cornerstone of the Anaerobic Digestion Quality Protocol.

Our testing services:

  • Bulk sample preparation
  • Compositional sorting (standard or bespoke categories)
  • Particle size analysis
  • X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) scanning and analysis
  • Loss on ignition/volatile solids
  • Dry matter
  • Sequential chemical extraction to support metal speciation
  • Acid digestible fibre tests for total biomass determination and fibre identification (lignin and cellulose)
  • Biodegradability testing (anaerobic, aerobic, bespoke)
      -  Biochemical Methane Potential (BMP, BMc, BM28)
      -  Residual Biogas Potential (RBP)
      -  Real Dynamic Respiration Index (RDRI)
      -  four day aerobic tests (DR4, AT4)
  • Compliance monitoring (management, reporting & interpretation)
       -  ESA Incinerator Bottom Ash (IBA) protocol
       -  Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme (LATS) PAS 100 & PAS 110


Holistic approach to waste management

Unique blend of in-house laboratory testing, approved supplier labs and consultancy expertise to provide bespoke solutions to waste classification and resource recovery challenges.


Meaningful and understandable reporting

We care about ensuring you avoid waste misclassification, optimise compliance and safeguard your reputation - not simply supplying lab results.

Trusted and credible within the industry

Trusted, independent partner of key trade bodies working within the waste and resources industry, providing solutions that have credibility with the regulators.

Experts with proven industry experience

Our people have proven experience supporting waste producers from various industries to improve their processes and achieve their sustainability goals.

Sustainable waste services

  • End of waste assessments
  • Residue classification
  • Biodegradability assessments

Our specialists help clients assess the potential for materials to be transformed into a fuel or energy product. Energy-from-Waste (EfW) evaluation is key in meeting sustainability goals.

  • Low carbon footprint construction materials can be made from a wide range of industrial wastes.
  • Test trials for geopolymer-stabilised hazardous wastes that are being developed to produce sustainable construction materials.
  • Product performance assessments to support end of waste applications
  • Data benchmarking for new products or residues

Our labs can provide classification of incinerator bottom ash and other thermal treatment residues. 

WRc has worked with industry to overcome this complex research area to develop a tool-box of chemical characterisation tests to support the classification of potentially hazardous waste. Thermodynamic modelling of the data can then provide the evidence to enable a non-hazardous classification of certain biomass ash streams.

Contact WRc’s waste doctors for support in classifying your thermal treatment residues, from developing sampling plans to providing evidence-based reports to submit to your regulator.

  • Undertake routine aerobic and anaerobic biodegradability testing and tailored treatment trials on feedstock destined for bio-treatment and stabilised outputs. This includes real time dynamic respiration index tests and biogas production potential tests to quantify carbon emissions.
  • In addition to looking at the agricultural benefits during land recovery, our testing support can be used to look at the fuel value of wastes going into further treatment and Renewable Obligation Certificates (ROCs) assessment.

WRc specialist Waste Doctors

Our waste and resource specialists also offer management of complex testing programmes using a basket of approved external laboratories, laboratory treatment trials and bespoke characterisation to help industry recover value from waste.

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Created by potrace 1.16, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2019

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If you would like more information about any of our products or services, or have a question please don't hesitate to get in touch. One of our friendly team will get back to you promptly.

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Carolina Cabrera

Project Manager

Carolina is a Food Engineer who has been working with the WRc Waste and Resources team for over 5 years, during which she has been a project manager with both the Ash Team and the Waste Doctors team and has been the category manager for the waste and resources team’s subcontracted laboratories. Working within the waste sector industry, Carolina has worked with clients such as trade associations and regulators, as a lead on a variety of projects.

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