Improvement of Austrian Waste Management Data for OECD/EUROSTAT Joint Questionnaire and Waste Statistics Regulation Brigitte Karigl / Federal Environment Agency Austria

Improvement of Austrian Waste Management Data Key Objectives Development of the most appropriate procedures for collecting statistical information on waste generation and waste treatment in Austria Filling the gaps in national and international data requests, especially concerning ‚priority data‘ of OECD/EUROSTAT Joint Questionnaire and the Waste Statistics Regulation Improvement of Austrian Waste Management Data 10/04/03

Improvement of Austrian Waste Management Data Expected Results Data regarding to Generation of Waste in the production sector Recovery/disposal of waste from the production sector Improvement of Austrian Waste Management Data 10/04/03

Methodological Approach Step 1: Weak-point analysis (= Inventory of existing data & Identification of remaining gaps) Step 2: Development of methodology for data collection Step 3: Conception and design of the questionnaire Step 4: Random sampling Step 5: Sending out the questionnaires Step 6: Telephone support Step 7: Receiving and first validation of data Step 8: Inquiries in case of missing or incorrect data Step 9: Data capture into the database Step 10: Data evaluation and analysis Improvement of Austrian Waste Management Data 10/04/03

Improvement of Austrian Waste Management Data Operating schedule Improvement of Austrian Waste Management Data 10/04/03

Step 1 – Weak-point analysis includes Inventory of existing data Hazardous waste Municipal waste Non hazardous waste from industry and commerce Waste recovery and disposal Identification of remaining gaps OÉCD/EUROSTAT Joint Questionnaire Waste Statistics Regulation Identified data gaps Sectoral breakdown of waste generated Generation, treatment and disposal of non hazardous industrial waste Annex II of Waste Statistics Regulation Improvement of Austrian Waste Management Data 10/04/03

Step 2 – Development of methodology for data collection Data collection with questionnaires to collect primary data at waste generators Data quality control by means of approved statistical methods Improvement of Austrian Waste Management Data 10/04/03

Step 3 - Conception and design of the questionnaire Key issues Contents Design/Layout Accompanying measures Standardized Questionnaire including Covering Letter Questionnaire Explanatory notes Improvement of Austrian Waste Management Data 10/04/03

Improvement of Austrian Waste Management Data Step 4 – Random Sampling Criteria for random sampling were Aspired result of the data collection: ±10 % (statistical probability of 95 %) Sectors of economic activity: Production Sector (NACE: 10-14, 15-37, 40, 41, 45) Statistical unit: kind-of-activity-units Basic year: 2001 Situation in Austria: 51,182 establishments in the frame (Production Sector) 4008 kind-of-activity-units chosen by random sampling (Statistics Austria) Improvement of Austrian Waste Management Data 10/04/03

Step 5 – Sending out the questionnaires Situation: 4008 questionnaires were sent out within 3 days Time limit for sending back: 3 weeks Necessary return rate: approx. 50 % Accompanying Measures: Telephone hotline Web page „Waste data collection 2001“ E-mail address „abfallerhebung2001@ubavie.gv.at“ Information strategy Improvement of Austrian Waste Management Data 10/04/03

Step 6 – Telephone Support / Hotline Action – Telephone support Number Enterprises which were motivated by the call and sent back the completed questionnaire 434 Enterprises which filled out the questionnaire by telephone 10 Enterprises which denied the co-operation 70 Enterprises which were liquidated in the meantime 37 Enterprises where contact persons couldn’t be reached until the end of the telephone support despite repeated calls Second sending of questionnaires by email, fax or mail 370 Total number of calls (including repeating calls) 1.970 Action - Hotline Calls done by the enterprises 700 Improvement of Austrian Waste Management Data 10/04/03

Step 7 – Receiving and first validation of data Improvement of Austrian Waste Management Data 10/04/03

Step 7 – Receiving and first validation of data Time scale Week No.: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Improvement of Austrian Waste Management Data 10/04/03

Step 7 – Receiving and first validation of data Major problems encountered by the enterprises were Identification problems: Assignment of waste to waste categories (waste categories in questionnaire different from national waste catalogue) Difficulties in completing the questionnaire: availability of data, lack of personnel Conversion (volume into mass) First validation of data includes Review of quantities concerning plausibility Review of level of completeness Assignment of specified data Case: Waste management concept  Assignment Improvement of Austrian Waste Management Data 10/04/03

Step 8 – Inquiries in case of missing or incorrect data Aim was to achieve a high data quality!!! Implemented measures: Inquiries by telephone in case of obviously incorrect data Inquiries by telephone in case of obviously missing data Correction of wrong summation Plausibility check (amount of waste per employee) Improvement of Austrian Waste Management Data 10/04/03

Step 9 – Data capture into the database Improvement of Austrian Waste Management Data 10/04/03

Step 10 – Data evaluation and analysis Interviews carried out by the Federal Environment Agency 4008 units contacted (within the production sector) Return rate: 45 %  1,786 questionnaires Data of 1,755 questionnaires used for extrapolation Results – Summary: Total waste generated (excl. C&D-waste): 5.6 Mio. tonnes Total waste generated (incl. C&D-waste): 30.7 Mio. tonnes Standard error: ±19 % Reference value according to BAWP 2001: 9.5 / 48.6 Mio. t Sector ‚Construction‘: 79 % of total waste generated (incl. C&D-waste) Province ‚Upper Austria‘: 36 % of total waste generated (incl. C&D-waste) Improvement of Austrian Waste Management Data 10/04/03

Waste generated in 2001 – per sector Improvement of Austrian Waste Management Data 10/04/03

Improvement of Austrian Waste Management Data Waste generated depending on sectors excl. construction/demolition waste and waste of naturally occurring material Improvement of Austrian Waste Management Data 10/04/03

Improvement of Austrian Waste Management Data Waste generated per province excl. construction/demolition waste and waste of naturally occurring material Improvement of Austrian Waste Management Data 10/04/03

Improvement of Austrian Waste Management Data Recovery and disposal of waste (Extrapolation according to information of waste producers) Improvement of Austrian Waste Management Data 10/04/03

Conclusions & Recommendations Improvement of Austrian Waste Management Data 10/04/03

Conclusions & Recommendations Standard error Situation: Result with ±19 % 7 Categories of employees: 0, 1-4, 5-9, 10-19, 20-49, 50-99, 100+ Category of employees: 100+  79 % of total waste generated excl. Scenarios for the random sampling: Condition: within category 1 – 6 unaltered conditions & results Category 7: 100 % chosen units of the frame in the sample if Return rate 100 %, standard errror decreases from ±19 % to ± 6.2 % Return rate 90 %, standard errror decreases from ±19 % to ± 10.6 % Return rate 80 %, standard errror decreases from ±19 % to ± 14.4 % Return rate 70 %, standard errror decreases from ±19 % to ± 17.8 % Improvement of Austrian Waste Management Data 10/04/03

Improvement of Austrian Waste Management Data Improvement of Austrian Waste Management Data for OECD/EUROSTAT Joint Questionnaire and Waste Statistics Regulation Brigitte Karigl / Federal Environment Agency Austria Improvement of Austrian Waste Management Data 10/04/03