Glossary of Terms
Updated 14 July 2025
Bring sites
Collection points for householders to deposit clean source segregated recyclable materials.
Bulk Density
A measure of the mass of a substance per unit volume, including the void spaces within the material.
Bulking
This refers to transporting goods in large, unpackaged quantities.
Census 2021
The most recent census data acquired by ONS. This data allows us to see all WCAs, Unitaries, Metropolitans, and London Boroughs that were live in 2021 as well as their population and household numbers. WDAs are not included in this list. The next census isnt until 2031.
Collection Cost
The expenses incurred for the pickup, transportation, and initial handling of waste and recyclables.
Collection frequency
The regularity with which waste and recyclables are collected from a designated location, whether that is weekly, bi-weekly, monthly or any other specified interval depending on the LA. The LAPCAP model calculates a weighted average collection frequency per week for dry recycling and residual waste collected at the kerbside for each WCA and Unitary authority. A collection frequency of 1 would mean all households served have one collection each week for that service.
Collection scheme
A structured system designed to gather residual waste and dry recycling. LAPCAP calculates the proportion of households with dry recycling collected via comingled, twin-stream or multi-stream collection schemes for each WCA and unitary authority. LAPCAP also considers the materials targeted for collection as part of each scheme.
Comingled Single-stream or comingled recycling
This is the system in which all dry recyclate materials (paper, plastic, metals, etc.) are mixed into a single collection truck. This single stream of dry mixed recyclate is then sorted and separated at a materials recovery facility (MRF). The LAPCAP model calculates the proportion of households with this collection scheme for each WCA and Unitary authority.
Communal Collections
Any collections from Communal Properties i.e. blocks of flats, Houses of Multiple Occupation (HMOS).
Communal Property
Any collection point used for multiple dwellings, for example flats.
Defra
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) is a department of His Majestys Government responsible for environmental protection, food production and standards, agriculture, fisheries and rural communities in the United Kingdom.
Deprivation
There are a range of metrics used to score the socio-economics of an area. The four nations each have their own multiple deprivation measures, however these are all calculated slightly differently from one another, and from the English IMD (Index of Multiple Deprivation). We have applied the , which creates a consistent UK-wide deprivation metric. 油
Disposal Cost
The disposal costs incurred by a relevant authority for managing household packaging waste include a wide range of activities such as collection, sorting, recycling, storage, transfer, and export of waste. These costs also cover operations at HWRCs, for public information campaigns, and marketing of recyclable materials. Additionally, they include the maintenance and operation of necessary infrastructure like vehicles and containers. Whether these processes are carried out by the authority itself or outsourced to third parties, all associated staff, administrative, and contractual costs are included in the total disposal costs. The term disposal cost comes from the EPR for packaging regulations but its meaning is not restricted just to disposal operations.
Disposal Overheads
The costs associated with administration of waste disposal services (bulking, haulage, treatment and disposal of household waste), including staff supporting waste disposal (admin, management, and training costs), communication, marketing, external consultancy, finance, ICT, payroll, HR, facilities management and utilities. These are local authority costs and exclude costs for HWRCs and gate fees for disposal facilities. Collection overheads are included in collection costs and not calculated separately.
Overheads
Overheads are calculated on a per household (ONS and SNR estimates) basis. We calculate a single per household value using RFIs then multiply by the ONS and SNR estimates to get total overheads for each LA. All LAs are paid the same per household.
Deposit return scheme (DRS)
The Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) for drinks containers will introduce a redeemable deposit on single-use in-scope drinks containers which can be claimed back by customers when the empty container is returned. DRS will reduce litter, increase recycling rates, create high quality recyclate for producers, and promote a circular economy. UK Government is committed to delivering a DRS in England in October 2027. Work will continue油 with industry partners and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) in Northern Ireland and the Scottish Government to launch schemes in England, Northern Ireland and Scotland. In November 2024, the Welsh Government withdrew from the four-nation DRS approach. Welsh Government has set out its objective for a DRS which delivers for Wales and supports a transition to reuse for all drinks containers. A close working partnership will remain with Welsh Government as it makes decisions regarding a DRS in Wales. 油
Effectiveness
[It is anticipated that] starting from year 2 of the pEPR scheme, PackUK will assess the effectiveness of each LAs waste management service.油 This assessment will take into account a number of listed factors, such as the proportion of packaging waste (both in each packaging material stream and overall) being recycled, total amount of packaging waste managed and the demographic and geographical characteristics of the authority area.油
Efficient
As currently defined in the EPR for packaging regulations, an authority provides an efficient management service if the costs of this service are as low as reasonably possible, taking into account:油
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the waste management service provided by the authority; and油
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any other factor specific to that authority, or to the area to which it exercises its waste management functions, which in the opinion of PackUK are likely to affect its disposal costs
GAD
The油Government Actuarys Department油(GAD) provides油actuarial油solutions including risk analysis, modelling and advice to support the UK public sector. It is a department of the油Government of the United Kingdom.油
Gate fees
A油gate fee油(or油tipping fee) is the charge levied upon a given quantity of油waste油received at a waste processing facility.
In the case of a油landfill,油it is generally levied to offset the cost of opening, maintaining and eventually closing the site. It may also include any油landfill tax油which is applicable in the region.
With waste treatment facilities such as incinerators, energy from waste plants, mechanical biological treatment facilities or composting plants the fee offsets the operation,油maintenance,油labour油costs and capital油costs of the facility along with any油profits油and final disposal costs of any unusable residues. ##Haulage The process of transporting goods.油油
Household packaging waste
This refers to packaging waste that qualifies as household waste, excluding certain categories listed in regulation 9 of the EPR for packaging regulations.
HWRC
Household waste and recycling centres, a facility where residents can bring various types of household waste and recyclables that are not typically collected through regular kerbside services.
Kerbside collections
Waste collections from individual properties or communal properties.油油
Landfill
A waste disposal site for the deposit of waste onto or into land.油
Local Authority Packaging Cost and Performance Model (LAPCAP)
A model developed by Defra on behalf of the four nations which has been used to calculate the net efficient costs incurred by every LA in the UK for the management of household packaging waste.油
Materials facility or materials recovery facility (MF/ MRF)
Places where waste collected for recycling is received, bulked for transport and/or sorted into secondary materials streams for onward sale. 油
Multi-stream
This involves separating recyclables into multiple categories before collection, typically sorted into specific bins or compartments on a collection vehicle for paper, card, cartons. plastics, metals, and glass. Plastic and metal may be comingled in the same compartment. The LAPCAP model calculates the proportion of households with this collection scheme for each WCA and Unitary authority.
Net efficient disposal costs (netting off)
A local authoritys waste disposal costs less the income from the sale of household packaging collected for recycling. Packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR for packaging) - A policy approach where producers are given the responsibility to pay LAs for the management of household packaging. More information can be found in the 油
PackUK
PackUK is the scheme administrator for the UKs Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for packaging scheme.油
Private Finance Initiative (PFI)
Contracts set out a long-term agreement between the private and public sector to deliver infrastructure.油
Packaging categories
The term used in the EPR for packaging regulations to denote one of the eight packaging materials: Aluminium, Fibre-based composite, Glass, Paper and card, Plastic, Wood and other materials.
Proportion of flats
The percentage of housing units in each area that are flats compared to other residential properties based on the 2021 ONS census and national records for Scotland estimates.
Quality Assurance (QA)
Quality assurance can be defined as part of quality management focused on providing confidence that quality requirements will be fulfilled. More information can be found in published Government resources including the Aqua Book.
Recycling credits
Recycling Credits were introduced in section 52 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 as a means to pass on to a recycler the savings in the disposal and collection cost, which result from recycling household waste. The Environmental Protection (Waste Recycling Payments) Regulations 2006 allow flexibility for WDAs and WCAs to agree alternative arrangements.油
Report Packaging Data
A digital portal which organisations that supply packaging use to report their packaging data if required by EPR for packaging.
Request for information (RFI)
A survey form template used for data collection.油油
Rurality - UK Composite Rural Urban Classification. A 3-fold metric to describe various small areas (LSOAs/Datazones/SOAs) on a rural/urban scale that is comparable across the UK. The metric is the percentage of a Local Authorities population who live in small areas defined as Urban, Rural or More Rural. This metric is taken from the and is calculated using population density (generated using the shapefiles for LSOA/DZ/SO and the mid-year population estimates from the various statistics authorities for 2019) and each nations own rurality metric:油
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England/Wales - 油
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Scotland - 油
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Northern Ireland - 油
Urban always means more than 10,000 people within the small area. More Rural generally tracks different ideas of village sized settlements, aiming to capture information relating to the remoteness of the authoritys population as well as its rurality.油
Statutory Joint Waste Authorities
Set up under . The Statutory Joint Waste Partnership has the responsibilities of a WDA in certain areas and the constituent authorities have the WCA responsibilities.油
Tonnes collected per household
Calculated by LAPCAP for use in determination of LA waste collection groupings as the tonnes collected from the kerbside as dry recycling or residual waste divided by the number of households served.油
Transfer
Moving goods from one mode of transport to another or to a different location.油油
Transfer Station
Facilities where waste is consolidated and bulked for onward transport. Limited material sorting may occur at these sites.油
Twin-stream
Twin-stream or two stream is a recycling system where materials are separated into two distinct categories before collection. Typically sorted into specific bins or compartments on a collection vehicle. Paper and card or glass are separately collected from the remainder of the dry mixed recyclate. The LAPCAP model calculates the proportion of households with this collection scheme for each WCA and Unitary authority.油
Two tier authorities
In England, waste management is delivered by a mix of unitary authorities, two-tier authorities comprising shire counties acting as WDAs and district/borough councils acting as WCAs and statutory waste partnerships comprising statutory waste disposal authorities and their constituent councils.油
Unitary
Unitary authorities carry out all of the services and functions carried out by the County Council and the district or borough councils combined. Unitary Authorities are both WCAs and WDAs.油
Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP)
A climate action NGO working around the globe to tackle the causes of the climate crisis and give the planet a sustainable future. They were established in the UK in 2000 and now work in 40+ countries.油
Waste Collection Authority (WCA)
A local government body responsible for the collection of household waste and recyclables from residents as defined in section 30 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (as amended).油
Waste Data Flow (WDF)
Waste Data Flow is the web-based system for municipal waste data reporting by UK LAs to government.油
Waste Disposal Authority (WDA)
A district or island council exercising their functions as a disposal authority as defined in section 30 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (as amended).油
Zero Waste Scotland
Scotlands circular economy public body, working with government, business, and communities to rewire the economy.