Residual waste management in London, England: a reality check

Residual waste is a key fraction of municipal solid waste generated, yet its management is poorly understood and has gained little attention over the past years. Using London as a case study, the present study analyses the amount of residual waste collected and managed to check on how well ahead the UK is in making progress on achieving the circular economy principles. The study found that 5 Mt of residual waste is reported to be managed in London, of which 3.5 Mt is managed via recovery operations and 1.59 Mt is managed via disposal operations. For the latter, landfills are the principal disposal option taking in 0.82 Mt of residual waste each year. Amongst the recovery options, incineration with energy recovery, is the most prevalent, accounting for the management of 1.44 Mt of residual waste. This highlights the presence of an important technological lock-in that could jeopardise UK’s ability to achieve its net zero carbon ambition. It is worth noting that the data collated and analysed depicts the movements of residual waste rather than its final treatment, pointing to blind spots in the final fate of residual waste as well as potential double counting; both of which prevent decision- and policy-making. Therefore, the need for transparency in data recording and monitoring and the creation of a level playing field for all stakeholders involved in residual waste management are of paramount importance in gradually breaking reliance on destructive treatment processes. This could empower improved segregation of waste at source, and in turn, enable the better management of residual waste. The study underlines that residual waste has a significant role to play in making the transition to a circular economy and therefore is imperative to pave the way for future policy direction on residual waste management. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10661-023-11760-2.