East London Waste Authority (ELWA) partnered with Alfred H Knight (AHK) to strengthen recycling and waste management practices ahead of the Simpler Recycling regulations.

The Challenge: Understanding Waste Through Composition Analysis

ELWA manages around 440,000 tonnes of waste annually across Barking & Dagenham, Havering, Newham, and Redbridge. Ahead of policy changes like Simpler Recycling, the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS), and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), they needed reliable data to guide investment, cut costs, and improve recycling performance.

The project required a detailed understanding of residual household waste, recyclables from kerbside collections and flats, and material from HWRCs.

Our Approach: Delivering Reliable Composition Analysis at Scale

To deliver reliable results at scale, AHK carried out two waste composition analyses over six months. We covered more than 500 households across ten sample areas, as well as residual waste from four HWRCs.

Our methodology combined rigorous sampling and segregation with socio-demographic profiling (ACORN) and categorisation of flats by block type. This gave ELWA a deeper, more representative view of household waste streams. It also produced data that was accurate, reliable, and actionable for planning, decision-making, and public engagement.

Insights That Drive Change

AHK’s waste composition analysis revealed that nearly 40% of residual household waste was food, a quarter of which was avoidable. This highlighted a major opportunity for ELWA to cut disposal costs, improve recycling rates, and design targeted public engagement campaigns.

By aligning material categories with Simpler Recycling, DRS, and EPR requirements, the results gave ELWA clear evidence for infrastructure planning, contract reviews, and compliance strategies.

The Impact: Turning Composition Analysis into Measurable Results

AHK delivered actionable insight, giving ELWA a clear roadmap for reducing food waste and boosting recycling across four London boroughs. By aligning results with upcoming legislation, we helped ELWA plan with confidence while strengthening compliance readiness.

The reports highlighted contamination levels, diversion rates, and future projections, enabling better decision-making. Within just four weeks of fieldwork, ELWA had the evidence needed to optimise operations, improve recycling performance, and advance its circular economy goals.

AHK carried out a thorough, well-managed project, meeting the specified requirements to agreed timescales and providing ELWA with valuable data and insight into the make-up of its waste arisings. This will allow ELWA to target resources towards specific material streams to improve performance and prepare for the impact of upcoming legislative changes.

James Kirkham, CRWM Contract Manager, East London Waste Authority.

By delivering a well-managed, high-quality analysis, AHK gave ELWA the insight they needed to optimise waste management, improve resource recovery, and advance their circular economy goals.

Darren Coss, Waste Optimisation Lead at Alfred H Knight.

Speak to an AHK Expert about your Waste Streams

Our experienced team is always available to support and assist you with waste composition analysis or solid fuel analysis requirements. Visit our contact page to discuss your operations today.