Monitoring indicators

ECONOMY & RESOURCES
This page provides insights into Devon’s progress towards a sustainable and circular economy. We track key indicators such as recycling rates, biodegradable waste management, and the reduction of avoidable food waste. Our aim is to avoid waste and create a circular economy, reduce emissions from unavoidable biodegradable waste and wastewater treatment, use the purchasing power of Devon’s organisations to benefit the environment and local communities, and support communities and businesses to transition to net-zero.
Headline indicator: Recycling rate of municipal waste
Milestones
Municipal waste recycling rate increased to:
- 60% by 2025
- 63% by 2030
- 65% by 2035
Data: Recycling rate of municipal waste
| Indicator | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total local authority collected waste (kt) | 563 | 566 | 564 | 572 | 584 | 546 | – | – |
| Local authority collected waste – sent for recycling-composting-reuse (kt) | 271 | 281 | 280 | 272 | 281 | 255 | – | – |
| Percentage of local authority collected waste sent for recycling-composting-reuse | 48% | 50% | 50% | 48% | 48% | 47% | – | – |
kt = kilotonnes


Organic waste in Devon’s residual waste
| Indicator | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average percentage of kerbside residual waste that is organic | 39.6% | – | – | – | – | 38.5% | – | – |
| Weight of kerbside residual waste that is organic (kg/hh/wk) | 2.2 | 1.6 |
hh = household, kg = kilograms, wk = week


Avoidable food waste in Devon
| Indicator | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average percentage of residual food waste that is avoidable | – | – | – | – | – | 76.7% | – | – |
| Weight of residual food waste that is avoidable (kg/hh/wk) | – | – | – | – | – | 0.94 | – | – |
| Percentage reduction in weight of residual food waste that is avoidable, relative to 2015 baseline. | – | – | – | – | – | 28% | – | – |
hh = household, kg = kilograms, wk = week
Â
Targets:
- 2025: Avoidable food waste reduced 20% (from 1990 levels)
- 2050: 50% reduction in avoidable food waste (from 1990 levels).
Total household waste collected in Devon
| Indicator | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Household- total waste collected (kt) | 519 | 519 | 516 | 530 | 535 | 496 | – | – |
| Reduction from baseline year (%) |


Target
- 2030: Household waste collected each year reduced by 6%.
Baseline year to be confirmed
Devon water treatment emissions
| Indicator | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South West Water gross annual operational emissions apportioned to Devon (tCO2e) | 97,614 | 87,240 | 82,088 | 75,106 | 72,334 | 106,018 | 106,426 | – |
| Change from baseline year (%) | 0% | -11% | -16% | -23% | -26% | 9% | 9% | – |


Target
- 2050: Water treatment emissions reduced by 20% (from 2017 levels).














