How we use waste data
Statutory waste data returns, collected and quality assured by SEPA’s Dataflows Unit, are used for the following purposes:
- Check compliance with the authorisation.
- Fulfil SEPA’s statutory and non-statutory reporting obligations.
- Respond to relevant data enquiries and requests for information.
Following a waste data consultation which ran from September to October 2019, some additional non-confidential and non-personal information from licensed and permitted site return forms, and exempt activity return forms are made publicly available through our waste sites and capacity tool.
Information published for each return type includes:
Licensed/permitted site return form
- EWC code and standard EWC description of waste
- Tonnages for Table B (waste inputs), Table C (waste treated on site), Table C4 (waste landfill or incinerated on site after treatment) and Table D (waste outputs)
- Geographical origin and/or destination of waste (where non-confidential)
- Management method(s), including waste treatment method(s) onsite
Exempt activity data return form
- EWC code and standard EWC description of waste
- Annual inputs (tonnes)
- Geographical origin of waste (where non-confidential)
Where the publication of waste geographical origin or destination will impact you commercially, you may apply to have this information withheld from publication for a period of three years. To apply, please complete and return the following form to the email address shown on the document:
- Application to withhold geographic origin or geographic destination from publication (MS Word, 153 kB)
Data requests
As a public authority, SEPA is subject to the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOI) and the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (EIR). We have a duty to make any recorded information held by SEPA, including waste data, available on request. We must apply a presumption in favour of disclosure, except when there is a lawful basis to withhold the information.
Should a request for information include a request for waste data which is excluded from publication because SEPA has agreed it is commercially confidential, it must still be considered for release under the legislation. The final decision on disclosure rests with SEPA. More information is available on SEPA’s Access to Information webpage.
On occasion, SEPA may be asked to share information contained in the completed waste data return form with partner organisations, for business purposes. Such requests are considered on a case-by-case basis before any data is shared.
Statistics
Waste data returns in aggregated form are also used as a data source for statistical purposes. This includes data on waste landfilled or incinerated in Scotland and on the generation and management of waste from all sources. This data is publicly available from our Waste data reporting webpages.