Commercial and industrial waste

What is commercial and industrial waste?

Commercial and industrial waste is a broad category that includes business waste, construction and demolition waste, and waste from agriculture, fishing and forestry.

Why is this waste important?

Waste produced by businesses is important because it is a large waste stream for which little information exists.

Construction and demolition wastes are important because they account for around half of the controlled waste managed in Scotland.  For this reason, SEPA generally reports this waste stream separately.

Agriculture, fishing and forestry wastes form a small proportion of the total controlled waste in Scotland, but are significant because these industries are important to Scotland’s economy.

There is also a need to provide data for reporting under the European Union Waste Statistics Regulations, for SEPA’s annual Waste Data Digest and to inform Scotland's Zero Waste Plan. 

How does SEPA collect this data?

There is no statutory requirement for businesses to provide data on the wastes they produce, so SEPA carried out two surveys to collect this information for the years 2004 and 2006.  It has also been possible to extrapolate data for 2005.

Construction and demolition waste data come from statutory data returns submitted to SEPA.

Wastes from agriculture, fishing and forestry are mostly derived from data models and partner organisations.  

What kind of information does SEPA report?

SEPA produces reports on the business waste surveys and on construction and demolition wastes.  There are also reports on priority waste streams, such as clinical waste and used oils, and data on waste streams produced by particular sectors such as agriculture, fishing and forestry.

Commercial and industrial waste data are also used in the Waste Statistics Regulations and in the Strategic Waste Management Review.