Environmental accounts: Waste balance, kind of waste per sector

What does the survey comprise?

Purpose

As part of the environmental accounts the waste accounts are compiled. The waste accounts show balanced figures on the origin and destination (treatment) of solid waste.

Target population

Different types of solid waste are distinguished. The amount of waste produced by households and industries and import is presented. Regarding the destination of waste a distinction is made between different ways of treatment (recycling, incineration and disposal on land) and export.

Year survey started

From 1990 onwards key figures are available. From 2008 onwards detailed figures on type of waste, industrial branches and way of treatment are available.

Frequency

Waste accounts are published biannually.

Publication strategy

Waste accounts are published on Statline and are part of publications on green growth and environmental accounts.

How is the survey conducted?

Important data sources

The waste database of “Rijkswaterstaat leefomgeving”, in which waste data of Statistics Netherlands and other registrations and researches is brought together, is the main data source for the waste accounts. Figures on import and export of waste are taken from the international trade statistics. Information on the use of waste as a resource in the production process is taken from several different sources among which production statistics.

Global structure ‘integration framwork’

The waste accounts are part of the environmental accounts. Data in the environmental accounts are compiled according the concepts and definitions of the national accounts. One important aspect is that the origin (waste production plus import) has to balance with the destination (waste treatment in the Netherlands plus export) of waste. In order to achieve this RWS source data has to be converted from “treatment of Dutch waste” to “treatment of waste in Netherlands”. Also discrepancies between the origin and destination of waste need to be eliminated. As a result of the above described adjustments, the figures may differ from waste data presented elsewhere.

Quality of the results

Sequential comparability

Waste accounts follow the same strategy on sequential comparability as adopted by the national accounts. A correct measure of developments in time are more important than the absolute level of a variable.

Revision

Waste accounts are revised for two reasons in 2016. First, the source data changed for 2012. As a result the amount of landfilled waste increased. Second, the methodology to convert “Dutch treated waste” to “waste treated in the Netherlands” improved. In order to make this conversion the amount of iron from compound products (like cars) needs to be estimated. Experts have made new estimates for several types waste.

Quality strategy

The waste accounts are a balanced and integrated entity. The results are confronted with waste figures published elsewhere.