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Welsh Government
Data Provider: Welsh Government Rolling 12 month period of municipal waste arisings by local authority (thousand tonnes)
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Click here to sortApril 2016-March 2017Click here to sortJuly 2016-June 2017Click here to sortOctober 2016-September 2017Click here to sortJanuary 2017-December 2017Click here to sortApril 2017-March 2018Click here to sortJuly 2017-June 2018Click here to sortOctober 2017-September 2018Click here to sortJanuary 2018-December 2018Click here to sortApril 2018-March 2019Click here to sortJuly 2018-June 2019Click here to sortOctober 2018-September 2019Click here to sortJanuary 2019-December 2019Click here to sortApril 2019 - March 2020Click here to sortJuly 2019 - June 2020The period was during the COVID-19 pandemic.Click here to sortOctober 2019 - September 2020The period was during the COVID-19 pandemic.Click here to sortJanuary 2020 - December 2020The period was during the COVID-19 pandemic.Click here to sortApril 2020 - March 2021The period was during the COVID-19 pandemic.Click here to sortJuly 2020 - June 2021The period was during the COVID-19 pandemic.Click here to sortOctober 2020 - September 2021The period was during the COVID-19 pandemic.Click here to sortJanuary 2021 - December 2021The period was during the COVID-19 pandemic.Click here to sortApril 2021 - March 2022The period was during the COVID-19 pandemic.Click here to sortJuly 2021 - June 2022Click here to sortOctober 2021 - September 2022Click here to sortJanuary 2022 - December 2022Click here to sortApril 2022 - March 2023Click here to sortJuly 2022 - June 2023Click here to sortOctober 22 - September 23Click here to sortJanuary 2023 - December 2023Click here to sortApril 2023 - March 2024Click here to sortJuly 2023 - June 2024The data item is provisional.Click here to sortOctober 2023 - September 2024The data item is provisional
[Collapse]Wales1,5901,5831,5701,5731,5501,5611,5431,5381,5421,5121,5171,5081,5121,4521,4661,4751,4881,5561,5381,5311,5081,4731,4361,4131,3991,4071,4081,4091,4091,4101,414
Wales[Collapse]RuralRural authorities: Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Conwy, Denbighshire, Gwynedd, Isle of Anglesey, Monmouthshire, Pembrokeshire, Powys, Vale of Glamorgan589583579579570576566563563548547542537505508511513545543543542532518509504508512513514513512
RuralRural authorities: Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Conwy, Denbighshire, Gwynedd, Isle of Anglesey, Monmouthshire, Pembrokeshire, Powys, Vale of GlamorganIsle of Anglesey39393838383736363636363636343535353636363635343333333334343434
Gwynedd75747372707170717170717171656463626665666867676665656666676765
Conwy63626162605957565655555555525353535655565554535252525253525252
Denbighshire44444545444544434341414040394042444747474745424140404141414139
Powys66626058565857575755555455535556565958585756555454545555555656
Ceredigion38363637363736353433343333303029293332333433323230313232323130
Pembrokeshire70696970707170707170706866595858586464646563626160616263626261
Carmarthenshire84848586868888888985838178747576788282818079797878797878787980
Vale of Glamorgan62636363626260585856575757565757586059585756545453535452535353
Monmouthshire49494949484847474847464645424141404444444442404039393939394040
[Collapse]UrbanUrban authorities: Cardiff, Flintshire, Newport, Swansea, Wrexham537535528531522526521519522518524521523501503503505527522521516501487479474477475476474476479
UrbanUrban authorities: Cardiff, Flintshire, Newport, Swansea, WrexhamFlintshire86868687838483828483838078737678818886868479757270737576757575
Wrexham88888786858685858685888889848382828583838178767473737272727375
Swansea115113111111110111111110109108108107109106109110112116115115113111109107107107106106105106106
Cardiff177177175175173172170170171170172171172164163160158165163163163160157155154154152153151152153
Newport70707071717272727373747475737273727475747473717070707171707070
[Collapse]ValleyValley authorities: Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend, Caerphilly, Merthyr Tydfil, Neath Port Talbot, Rhondda Cynon Taff, Torfaen464465463463457460456455456445445445452446456461470483473467451440431425421422421420421421422
ValleyValley authorities: Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend, Caerphilly, Merthyr Tydfil, Neath Port Talbot, Rhondda Cynon Taff, TorfaenNeath Port Talbot69717272717271707067656463636466676968676563626160606061616364
Bridgend69676562595857565756555655545555575958595757565655555554545453
Rhondda Cynon Taf119118118119119120121121123122126127136137141143142144138136128124121118115114113112112112113
Merthyr Tydfil28272727282828282727272728272830313332323129282726262626262626
Caerphilly1021041041061041051041041041009895949293949710099999794929190909090908989
Blaenau Gwent32323233323231303029293131313130313332323130303031313232323233
Torfaen45454545454645464645454545444444454645434342424344454546464545

Metadata

Title

Local authority municipal waste management, by quarter

Last update

May 2025 May 2025

Next update

June 2025 (provisional)

Publishing organisation

Welsh Government

Source 1

WasteDataFlow, Natural Resources Wales

Contact email

stats.environment@gov.wales

Designation

National Statistics

Lowest level of geographical disaggregation

Local authorities

Geographical coverage

Local authorities

Languages covered

English and Welsh

Data licensing

You may use and re-use this data free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government License - see http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence

General description

Quarterly data is given on the amount of local authority municipal waste collected and the percentage of this waste being prepared for re-use, recycling or composting for all 22 local authorities.

Data collection and calculation

In Wales local authority municipal waste includes material from domestic and commercial properties that is collected by, or on behalf of the 22 local authorities.

Results for the amount and type of waste collected and how it is disposed of are collected through the WasteDataFlow system.Local Authorities in Wales are required to report quarterly information on collected municipal waste; the amount of municipal waste sent to landfills and the amount of municipal waste sent to other facilities. This information is submitted by local authorities via WasteDataFlow. The monitoring authority (Natural Resources Wales) are then responsible for validation of this information.

The data published on a quarterly basis is provisional and are subject to revisions until finalised figures for the financial year have been published.There may be some discrepancies between some of the tables as some relate to the amount of waste generated/collected whilst others refer to the amount sent for treatment. This can be a matter of timing if, for example, authorities stockpile waste for later treatment. There may also be some inconsistencies in the measurement since the waste is weighed when collected and again when it is sent for treatment. In addition, there may also be loss in weight through various treatment processes. Natural Resources Wales validate all local authority returns and require that the difference between the amount collected and the amount sent for treatment must not differ by more than 10 per cent in any quarter, unless a valid explanation can be given. Local authority municipal waste excludes abandoned vehicles.In the tables where figures have been rounded to the nearest final digit, the constituent items may not add up exactly to the total.

Frequency of publication

Quarterly

Data reference periods

The regulations in Wales require that local authorities submit their data to WasteDataFlow each quarter. Each quarterly summary is therefore based on returns from all 22 authorities.

Users, uses and context

Further information is available in the 2018-19 Annual Release (see weblinks).

Rounding applied

In the tables where figures have been rounded to the nearest final digit, the constituent items may not add up exactly to the total.

Keywords

Municipal waste; local authority; recycling

Statistical quality

It is important to note there are inter-seasonal differences between the data for each quarter and each local authority. These differences may be due to the fact that some local authorities have a higher tonnage in July to September due to an influx of tourists. The composting figures are usually lower in quarters 3 and 4 due to lower amounts of garden waste generated outside the growing season. At various times, local authorities also introduce new services, for example collections of food waste, so composting figures for the relevant quarter will be higher than the previous quarter. Taking all of these factors into account a degree of caution is needed when carrying out comparisons between successive quarters and each local authority.

The breakdown of waste by management method does not sum to the total amount of waste arisings. This is because there is a slight mismatch between the amount collected and the amount treated. This can be a matter of timing if, for example, authorities stockpile waste for later treatment. There may also be some inconsistencies in the measurement since the waste is weighed when collected and again when it is sent for treatment. There may also be loss in weight through various treatment processes.

Given that the quarterly results are provisional this release tries to strike a balance between publishing early results and waiting for more secure data.
These data have been classified as National Statistics.