Annex A: Summary of data inputs
Updated 14 July 2025
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1. Tonnage from Waste Data Flow
This data is taken from LAs reporting movements of waste using the Waste Data Flow Waste Management system. Data from 2021 to 2022 has been used for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Data from the calendar year 2021 has been used for Scotland.
2. National Waste Composition analyses
This data is taken from the WRAP 2017 waste composition study, Zero Waste Scotland 2023 waste composition study and WRAP Welsh 2023 composition study. Where composition data was not sufficiently granular placed on the market data submitted by producers into the Report Packaging Data (RPD) online portal system for the calendar year 2023, and government commissioned work on the proportion of given packaging categories that are in scope of the Deposit Returns Scheme (DRS).
Due to a lack of evidence around the proportion of ‘wood’ and ‘other’ materials in the waste stream that would constitute packaging material, assumptions around these proportions were adjusted to match the tonnages of these materials reported as placed on the market in the RPD online portal.
Assumptions around the tonnages of ‘fibre-based composites’ and ‘paper and card’ packaging materials in the waste stream were also adjusted to better reflect the tonnages reported as placed on the market in the RPD online portal (whilst keeping the total tonnages in the waste stream constant). Data from government commissions work on the proportion of given packaging categories that are in scope of DRS are used to finalise packaging tonnages by removing DRS materials.
3. Disposal costs from WRAP Gate Fee survey
This data has been taken from the UK Gate Fees report 2022 to 2023 (WRAP) and is used for the all disposal methods except reprocessors and Mechanical Biological Treatment (MBT) plants
4. Disposal costs from the Welsh Local Government Association
Cost data taken from Welsh local authorities has been used to determine gate fees for bulking and handling material sent direct to reprocessor following separate collections. This includes re-use, exporter re-use and exporter recycling.
5. Disposal costs from Defra’s Waste Infrastructure Development Programme
Disposal costs from Defra’s Waste Infrastructure Development Programme have been used to determine gate fees for MBT plants.
6. Materials Prices
Data for material prices from Lets Recycle (Prices - letsrecycle.com), which are available on a month-by-month basis for several years. The model defaults to using prices for financial year 2021 to 2022.
7. Scheme Data
This data has been obtained for 2021 to 2022 from the WRAP LA portal
8. Household numbers
Based on the 2021 Office of National Statistics (ONS) Census, the National Records of Scotland estimates from 2021 for Scotland and 2021 NISRA for Northern Ireland
9. Bulk Density data
Data provided directly by WRAP.
11. Sampled local authority (LA) cost data
This was taken in a Request for Information (RFI) exercise where 52 LAs across the UK provided real cost data on their waste management costs. Cost data from Welsh local authorities is also included in the sample of local authority cost data, this data comes from Welsh Improvement Plan (WIP) Waste Finance Data 2021 to 2022