Do you want to know how well Surrey does when it comes to waste? The Surrey Waste Tracker takes an annual look at the latest data on the waste being produced in the county and what happens to it once collected from residents. The latest period the tracker covers is 2023-24.
Surrey is one of the top performers in England when it comes to waste
Below are the four main measures used to track performance with comparisons to 26 other similar waste authorities in England.
• Recycling: Surrey is in joint 2nd place, recycling 54.5% of its waste.
• Rubbish produced per household: Surrey is in 8th place, with households producing 445kg of rubbish per household.
• Landfill: Surrey is in 6th place, sending just 0.2% of its waste to landfill; the rest is turned into something new, incinerated to produce electricity or is reused.
• Waste processed in the UK: Surrey processes 85.0% of its waste at home.
You can also find out more about performance in your local area in Surrey by viewing our map of the county.
Surrey in 2nd place for recycling
The more we recycle, the better it is for the environment, and the more savings are made to support other council services. In 2023-24, Surrey produced 279,500 tonnes of material that was recycled, reused or composted, equivalent to 54.5% of the total waste produced. This is similar to the previous year and puts us in joint 2nd place in England out of 27 for our recycling rate and significantly higher than the national average of 42.3%.
Sometimes, items that can’t be recycled go into recycling bins, which can cause whole truckloads of good recycling to be wasted. The key culprits are items with food in or on, items in plastic or black bags and plastics that can’t be recycled. This reduces our recycling rate.
Surrey throwing away less than most
The best thing to do with waste is to produce less of it, particularly what goes into rubbish bins. In 2023-24, Surrey households produced an average of 445kg of rubbish, similar to the previous year and putting us in 8th place in England out of 27 and a lot lower than the nation’s average household (511kg).
Currently, 49.1% of the waste that goes into household rubbish bins could be recycled. The main culprits are materials like paper and card, plastic pots, tubs and trays, glass and textiles, all of which can be recycled.
Of course, some waste will always go into rubbish bins and what does is turned into energy, which is the best option for this kind of waste. In 2023-24, 222,500 tonnes of waste was turned into energy, equivalent to 45.3% of the total waste produced.
Almost no waste in Surrey going to landfill
Despite being the least environmentally friendly option, sometimes waste must go to landfill. This is usually because the waste contains hazardous substances that can’t be treated in any other way. However, we try and keep as much out of landfill as possible and in 2023-24, less than 1,300 tonnes of material went to landfill, equivalent to 0.2% of the total waste produced. This is a big drop from the previous year, putting us in 6th place in England out of 27 for the amount that we send to landfill and is much lower than the national average of 5.5%.
Keeping most of Surrey’s waste in the UK
It is more efficient and better for the planet when we treat our waste in the UK. However, some of our waste is sent abroad either because there is a lack of facilities to treat the material in the UK or because it’s a more cost-effective option. In 2023-24, Surrey kept 85% of its waste in the UK, similar to the previous year. When it’s sent abroad, we’re careful to make sure waste is treated properly and is sent to reputable, licensed organisations with world-leading facilities.
Waste performance where you live in Surrey
| District or borough council | Rubbish collected from households per household (kg) | Proportion recycled, composted or reused (%) | Proportion of recycling recycled in the UK (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elmbridge Borough Council | 407.5 | 54.2% | 72.6% |
| Epsom and Ewell Borough Council | 402.3 | 52.1% | 63.7% |
| Guildford Borough Council | 347.5 | 57.9% | 84.6% |
| Mole Valley District Council | 362.1 | 56.4% | 72.2% |
| Reigate and Banstead Borough Council | 381.2 | 54.2% | 96.2% |
| Runnymede Borough Council | 386.4 | 46.8% | 71.5% |
| Spelthorne Borough Council | 439.3 | 44.5% | 70.7% |
| Surrey Heath Borough Council | 341.2 | 58.9% | 76.8% |
| Tandridge District Council | 361.5 | 57.8% | 84.2% |
| Waverley Borough Council | 350.0 | 57.0% | 75.3% |
| Woking Borough Council | 348.1 | 56.4% | 73.1% |
To find out about the waste we produced and what happened to it during the previous year, visit our page on Recycling in Surrey 2022-23.