Waste management statistics

Recycling statistics

In 2022, a new method of analysing and reporting recycling was introduced. This method is not simply based on recycling, but rather on the entire waste process. The process follows the 'Waste Hierarchy' to (in order):

reduce the amount of waste generated
increase the reuse of unwanted items
recycle waste items
extract (recover) useful materials from what is left in the waste
finally, to dispose of what remains of the waste

This process is shown in the following diagram:

Non-inert waste by tonnage

Covers all non-inert waste streams bought to Government waste sites through household collections and from commercial customers.

Analysis of the waste handling process is shown in the chart below.

Waste tonnage by management stream

Source: Government of Jersey Department for Growth, Housing and Environment, download the chart data

Waste tonnage per person

Source: Government of Jersey Department for Growth, Housing and Environment, download the chart data

Construction, Demolition and Excavation (CDE) waste by tonnage

Inert waste produced primarily from the construction industry is handled separately to the non-inert household waste. The Recovery stage does not apply to CDE waste which is either Reused, Recycled or Disposed of.

CDE waste tonnage by management stream

Source: Government of Jersey Department for Growth, Housing and Environment, download the chart data

Waste related incidents

Waste related incidents can include fly-tipping, burning and improper disposal of construction materials. They can also include any issues arising from waste activities such as storage and disposal or at other sites involving waste. Incidents are reported to Pollution Control through a pollution reporting line, by email or using the Love Jersey App and website.

In 2023, a total of 525 waste incidents were reported. Fly-tipping accounted for 94% of all waste incidents (496 incidents).

111 incidents involved more detailed investigation over and above an initial attendance and assessment. Of these, 82 were fly-tipping reports.

Comparing 2023 with 2022 shows that:

total reported incidents decreased by 10%
total reported fly-tipping incidents decreased by 43%
number of incidents investigated decreased by 34%

Total number of reported waste incidents over time

Source: Government of Jersey Department for Growth, Housing and Environment, download the chart data

Total number of reported waste incidents investigated over time

Source: Government of Jersey Department for Growth, Housing and Environment, download the chart data

The total number of investigated waste incidents decreased from 167 in 2022 to 111 in 2023. This is the second highest since the Love Jersey app and website was introduced in 2017. It also marks the highest number of waste related incidents investigated.

Fly-tipping

Fly-tipping is an offence under the Waste Management (Jersey) Law 2005. It is also an offence under the policing of roads, parks and beaches regulations.

Fly-tipping incidents form a large portion of waste incident reports. These reports take many hours of investigation to resolve. The significant increase in fly tipping reports is attributable to a more active approach to tackling fly tipping. Officers from Pollution Control visit known hot spots on a daily basis actively looking through fly tipped waste for evidence.

Of the 99 individuals identified as responsible for fly tipping in 2022, 80 received advice letters, 6 received written warnings, 2 received formal written warnings, and for the very minor incidents 11 received verbal advice.

Annual fly-tipping incidents over time

Source: Government of Jersey Department for Growth, Housing and Environment, download the chart data

In 2023:

fly-tipping made up 94% of total waste incidents, down from 96% in 2022.
fly-tipping made up 74% of total investigated waste incidents
suspects were identified in 6% of total fly-tipping incidents
suspects were identified in 37% of investigated fly-tipping incidents

It is worth noting that Parish of St. Helier record their own statistics related to incidents of dumped (fly-tipped) waste items. Most of these reports involve dumped household waste such as white goods and furniture which the parish has collected. Only in some cases, where there is enough evidence, is the report passed to Pollution Control to investigate.