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Waste Management

Volume 686: debated on Wednesday 1 November 2006

Lord Lewis of Newnham asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Rooker on 9 October (WA 122-3), what are the percentages of the United Kingdom emissions of dioxins and furans from all sources.[HL7702]

The Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Rooker): The UK National Atmospheric Emission Inventory (NAEI) provides a standard reference air emission inventory for a wide range of pollutants including dioxins emissions to air. The inventory can be found at www.naei.org.uk/.

The table below provides a summary of NAEI estimates of UK dioxin and furan emissions from each source category from 1990 to 2004. It also includes the estimated percent contribution from each source category to the total release of dioxins and furans to air for 2004, the most recent year for which statistics are available.

UK Emissions of Dioxins and Furans by Source Category (g I-TEQ/year)

Sector

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

Combustion in Energy Production

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Public Electricity and Heat Production

35

35

32

27

26

25

24

19

Petroleum refining

12

13

13

14

14

14

14

14

Manufacture of Solid Fuels and Other Energy Industries

0.3

0.3

0.2

0.1

0.1

0

0

0.1

Combustion in Industry

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Iron and Steel

44

42

41

42

43

43

44

45

Non-ferrous Metals

40

35

35

37

40

41

42

42

Other Industrial Combustion1

79

80

80

77

78

73

72

70

Transport Fuel Use

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Road Transport; Passenger cars

27

24

21

18

15

12

9.8

7.9

Road Transport; Light duty vehicles

2.2

1.9

1.7

1.4

1.2

1

0.8

0.7

Road transport; Heavy duty vehicles

0.3

0.3

0.3

0 3

0.3

0.3

0.3

0.3

Road Transport; Mopeds & Motorcycles

0.5

0.4

0.3

0.2

0.2

0 2

0.2

0.2

Railways

2.6

2.6

2.6

2.4

2.4

2.5

2.6

2.8

National Navigation

0.3

0.5

0.5

0.7

0.8

0.9

0.7

0.5

Other mobile sources and machinery

0.4

0.3

0.4

0.4

0.4

0.4

0.4

0.5

Combustion in Commercial and Residential Use

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Commercial and Institutional fuel combustion

46

44

39

32

27

18

20

24

Residential fuel combustion

16

17

15

16

13

9.8

10.2

9.1

Household and gardening machinery

0.3

0.3

0.3

0.3

0.3

0.3

0.3

0.3

Agricultural Fuel combustion

7.2

7.2

7.2

7.3

7.3

7.3

7.3

7.1

Off-road Vehicles and Other Machinery

6.1

6.1

6.1

6.1

6.1

6.1

6.2

6.3

Fugitive Emissions from Fuel Manufacture

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Solid fuel transformation

3.7

3.2

2.6

2.2

1.9

1.6

1.5

1.5

Production Processes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glass and Asphalt production

1.3

1.2

1.3

1.3

1.4

1.4

1.2

1.1

Chemical production

0.02

0.02

0.02

0.02

0.02

0.02

0.02

0.02

Metal production

27

24

24

25

25

26

24

26

Wood impregnation

0.4

0.4

0.4

0.4

0.4

0.4

0.4

0.4

Agriculture

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Field burning of agricultural wastes

57

49

36

0.8

0

0

0

0

Waste

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Solid waste disposal on land

1.2

1.2

1.2

1.1

1.1

1

1

0.9

Small scale waste burning

52

52

52

52

52

52

52

52

MSW Incineration and Refuse Derived Fuel combustion

602

602

602

439

256

310

57

28

Other Waste disposal2

167

167

160

155

145

137

132

82

Vehicle Fires

5.3

6.7

7 4

7.1

6.4

6.5

6.9

6.7

Other Sources

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bonfire Night

6.8

6.8

6.8

6.8

6.8

6.8

6.8

6.8

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total

1,243

1,222

1,190

973

771

797

536

453

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

International Navigation

9

8.7

9.1

9

8.5

9.1

9.9

11.1

Accidental and natural fires

64

64

64

64

64

64

64

64

Sector

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

Contribution from source category to total dioxin and furans emissions in 2004 (%)

Combustion in Energy Production

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Public Electricity and Heat Production

20

15

17

18

16

1.8

1.5

0.50%

Petroleum refining

13

11

9.1

10

12

12

11

3.70%

Manufacture of Solid Fuels and Other Energy Industries

0.1

0.1

0.1

0.1

0.1

0.01

0.02

0.00%

Combustion in Industry

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Iron and Steel

44

39

29

32

25

29

30

10.50%

Non-ferrous Metals

23

18

13

12

11

8.8

5.9

2.1%

Other Industrial Combustion1

68

64

58

63

54

54

81

28.60%

Transport Fuel Use

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Road Transport; Passenger cars

6

4.2

2.6

2.5

2.4

2.3

2.2

0.80%

Road Transport; Light duty vehicles

0.5

0.3

0.2

0.2

0.2

0.2

0.2

0.1%

Road transport; Heavy duty vehicles

0.3

0.3

0.3

0.3

0.3

0.3

0.3

0.1%

Road Transport; Mopeds & Motorcycles

0.1

0.1

0.1

0.1

0.1

0.1

0.1

0.02%

Railways

2.9

3

3.1

3.2

3.2

3.2

3.4

1.20%

National Navigation

0.4

0.3

0.2

0.1

0.2

0.2

1.1

0.40%

Other mobile sources and machinery

0.5

0.5

0.5

0.5

0.5

0.5

0.6

0.20%

Combustion in Commercial and Residential Use

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Commercial and Institutional fuel combustion

16

16

14

14

9

6.8

2.9

1.00%

Residential fuel combustion

8.8

8.9

7.1

7.9

6.7

4.8

5

1.80%

Household and gardening machinery

0.3

0.3

0.3

0.3

0.3

0.3

0.3

0.10%

Agricultural Fuel combustion

7.1

7.2

6.8

6.8

6.8

6.8

7

2.40%

Off-road Vehicles and Other Machinery

6.1

6

5.8

5.7

5.7

5.7

5.5

1.90%

Fugitive Emissions from Fuel Manufacture

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Solid fuel transformation

0.9

0.9

0.9

0.8

0.8

1.2

0.6

0.20%

Production Processes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glass and Asphalt production

1.1

1.1

1

1.1

1.1

1.1

1.1

0.40%

Chemical production

0.02

0.02

0.02

0.02

0.02

0.02

0.02

0.00%

Metal production

23

20

13

13

14

12

11

3.90%

Wood impregnation

0.4

0

0

0

0

0

0

0.00%

Agriculture

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Field burning of agricultural wastes

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0.00%

Waste

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Solid waste disposal on land

0.8

0.7

0.6

0.5

0.5

0.4

0

0.00%

Small scale waste burning

52

52

52

52

52

52

52

18.20%

MSW Incineration and Refuse Derived Fuel combustion

2.6

1.1

1.3

0.9

1.1

0.6

0.4

0.10%

Other Waste disposal2

50

48

47

47

47

48

46

16.20%

Vehicle Fires

7.1

8.5

8.9

9.6

9.5

8.7

8.7

3.1%

Other Sources

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bonfire Night

6.8

6.8

6.8

6.8

6.8

6.8

6.8

2.40%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total

360

334

299

308

285

266

285

100.00%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

International Navigation

12.1

8.7

7.7

8.6

7.2

6.9

7.9

 

Accidental and natural fires

64

64

64

64

64

64

64

 

1. Other industrial combustion—includes fuel combustion in industries other than iron and steel and non-ferrous metal production which are quoted separately and includes cement and lime production, ceramic, brick and refractory manufacture and industrial off road vehicle use.

2. Other waste disposal—includes agricultural waste burning, chemical incineration, activated carbon regeneration, sewage sludge incineration, clinical waste incineration, crematoria, foot and mouth pyres and animal carcass incineration.

3. Statistics on fires and international navigation are listed separately to the main inventory data for reporting purposes.