Household waste recycled, UK and its nations
Official statistics, not accredited
Share of household waste recycled, composted or reused in the UK, England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland each year since 2010, from Defra's UK statistics on waste.
United Kingdom
44.5%
2024
Verified against source, 1 November 2026, 12:26 UTC- United Kingdom
- England
- Wales
- Scotland
- Northern Ireland
Source: Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Data table
15 periods, newest first
| Period | United Kingdom | England | Wales | Scotland | Northern Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 44.5% | 43.8% | 58.6% | 42.7% | 50.1% |
| 2023 | 44.6% | 44.0% | 57.0% | 42.2% | 50.2% |
| 2022 | 44.1% | 43.4% | 56.5% | 42.0% | 49.2% |
| 2021 | 44.6% | 44.1% | 56.4% | 41.7% | 48.4% |
| 2020 | 44.5% | 44.0% | 56.3% | 41.0% | 49.1% |
| 2019 | 46.0% | 45.5% | 56.6% | 43.5% | 50.6% |
| 2018 | 45.0% | 44.7% | 54.1% | 42.8% | 47.7% |
| 2017 | 45.5% | 45.2% | 55.2% | 43.5% | 46.3% |
| 2016 | 45.1% | 44.9% | 54.8% | 42.8% | 43.3% |
| 2015 | 44.5% | 44.3% | 53.3% | 42.1% | 42.1% |
| 2014 | 44.8% | 44.8% | 53.3% | 41.0% | 42.6% |
| 2013 | 44.1% | 44.2% | 52.2% | 39.6% | 41.5% |
| 2012 | 43.9% | 44.1% | 52.1% | 38.2% | 40.7% |
| 2011 | 42.9% | 43.3% | 49.0% | 37.1% | 40.0% |
| 2010 | 40.4% | 41.2% | 44.0% | 32.5% | 37.8% |
Source and licence
- Publisher
- Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
- Check it yourself
- https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/uk-waste-data
- Licence
- Open Government Licence v3.0 – Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Retrieved
- 1 November 2026, 12:17 UTC
- Raw files fetched
- https://www.gov.uk/api/content/government/statistics/uk-waste-dataSHA-256 e2158ebfbc92c88c00eda65d0dd76356597fa89613cc147515d26a2ac3818436 · 20,652 bytes
- https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6aac017b2f29b3888481867f/UK_statistics_on_waste_release_figures_and_tables_dataset_2026.odsSHA-256 e8e807e0eca399e00eea4a63457cee11679771a3b1e66e3c49813c0097596344 · 45,851 bytes
Verification
Verified against source, 1 November 2026, 12:26 UTC Run at 1 November 2026, 12:26 UTC; 75 of 75 figures matched the live source.
| Result | Check | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Pass | Provenance recorded | Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs; Open Government Licence v3.0; retrieved 2026-11-01T12:17:51Z; 2 raw file(s) |
| Pass | Raw files match recorded SHA-256 | 2 of 2 files intact |
| Pass | Re-parsing raw files reproduces figures | 75 of 75 figures and the headline reproduced |
| Pass | Figures are finite numbers | 75 figures, 0 invalid |
| Pass | Live source matches every figure | 75 of 75 figures match exactly after downloading 2 source file(s) again (2 byte-identical); the headline matches |
| Pass | GOV.UK table is current | latest period 2024 ended 670 days before retrieval (limit 1050), from UK statistics on waste release figures and tables dataset |
| Pass | Recomputed from the tonnages | 75 of 75 figures match recycled tonnes over arisings in sheet Waste_from_Households of https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6aac00ba2f29b3888481867d/UK_Statistics_on_Waste_dataset_Sept_2026_accessible.ods, rounded half up |
| Pass | Source page answers | https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/uk-waste-data – HTTP 200 |
Notes
- Waste from households sent for recycling, composting or reuse as a share of all household waste, on a harmonised UK measure that differs from the nations' own headline rates. From 2015 it includes metal recovered from incinerator bottom ash.
- Defra publishes these as official statistics. Each release can revise earlier years.