Strategy

Our Performance


The Surrey Environment Partnership (SEP) produces a quarterly analysis of its performance against set measures such as overall waste collection, recycling and disposal of waste.

Headlines from the latest report, which covers Q3 2022-23 (October to December 2022) can be seen below. To request a PDF copy of the full report, please contact us.

  • The data presented within this report should continue to be viewed considering the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the most recent 3 quarters are following the removal of any restriction, previous tonnages were significantly higher during the pandemic.
  • Overall tonnages for most of the D&Bs increased across all material streams during the quarter compared with the previous quarter, apart from residual waste which experienced a decrease.
  • Food waste tonnages collected across the SEP fell below 10,000 tonnes for the fourth consecutive quarter, potentially an impact of the cost-of-living crisis.
  • Dry mixed recycling (DMR) contamination rates increased to 10.3%, up slightly from last quarter, but has remained a consistent level over recent years.
  • The Surrey Environment Partnership recycling rate increased this quarter by 0.5 percentage points, however the trend for the majority of D&Bs remained stable with only Elmbridge and Woking experiencing increases.
  • Overall garden waste tonnages increased, with kerbside increasing this quarter – this could be an affect from disruption in garden waste services in certain D&Bs in the previous year. CRC tonnages decreased this quarter.
  • The amount of material being sent for recycling overseas, outside the EU in Q2 accounted for 6% of total waste disposal and recycling sent overseas within the EU was at 4%.
  • Material sent to UK energy from waste (EfW) plants had an increase in the latest quarter from 33,530 to 41,375. Material going to EfW plants overseas had a significant decrease in this quarter to 174 tonnes. Landfill experienced a decrease from 13,350 to 8,191 tonnes (7% of total waste disposed).
  • Material management fees for EfW, food, and garden waste saw very little change this quarter, whilst the DMR gate fee increased this quarter, which is the highest it has been since Q1 2021-22.
  • Material market prices have decreased in Q3, particularly for DMR, which is likely to impact on DMR management fees next quarter. 

2020/212021/222022/23Trend (MAA)
Q4Q1Q2Q3Q4Q1Q2Q3Q2Q3
Dry Mixed Recycling Kerbside Collections
DMR collected32,642
31,50330,13630,45529,45027,76328,19628,67028,96628,520
DMR recycled29,49128,68727,37627,67026,84725,17025,67725,62826,34125,830
% recycled90.3%91.1%90.8%90.9%91.2%90.7%91.1%
89.4%90.9%90.6%
Not-recyclable3,1512,8162,7602,7862,6032,5932,5193,0422,6252,690
% not-recycled9.7%8.9%9.2%9.1%8.8%9.3%8.9%10.6%9.1%9.4%
Food Waste
Food Waste Collected11,05710,49810,10610,2579,9289,4359,0619,1579,6709,395
Garden waste
Kerbside13,48525,40223,44814,42111,05223,72117,93519,79316,78218,125
CRC3,3355,0238,0266,0864,1055,9734,4563,7935,1554,582
Total16,82030,42431,47420,50715,15729,69422,39125,58621,93722,707
Residual waste
Kerbside45,84846,12944,83644,06643,73943,90942,06043,26343,44443,243
CRC10,64210,79010,7138,3519,77010,1889,7475,8609,5148,891
Total56,49156,91855,55052,41853,50954,09751,80849,12452,95852,134