What is the waste management route (WMR)?
The waste management route (WMR) describes what happens to the waste that leaves your site. The routes follow the waste hierarchy principle, which is the ranking of waste management practices in order of preference to the environment, otherwise known as the waste hierarchy – as detailed in the EU Waste Framework Directive (linked here). These hierarchies are Reuse, Recycling, Recovery, Disposal.
At Qflow, we understand the need for these high-level hierarchies to be subcategorised. For example, “Disposal” can be split into “Disposal to landfill”, “Disposal after treatment” and so on. This subcategorisation is directly linked to the Recovery & Disposal (R&D) codes facilities report (linked here). In Spring 2025, we improved this classification to provide more accurate waste management routes.
The primary objective of many construction projects is to understand their diversion from landfill rates; having detailed waste management routes allows us to demonstrate this for you.
Please note that waste management routes are not calculated for waste exemptions. Exemptions are identified directly from the Environment Agency and the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency.
What are the definitions of each waste hierarchy?
Recycling
Recycling refers to any recovery operation where waste materials are reprocessed into products, materials, or substances, either for their original purpose or for other purposes. It excludes energy recovery and the reprocessing into materials that will be used as fuels or for backfilling operations.
- Example: Turning plastic bottles into new plastic products, or paper waste into recycled paper.
Recovery
Recovery involves any operation where the primary result is ensuring that waste serves a useful purpose. This includes energy recovery (where waste is burned to generate energy) and certain recycling operations that provide new materials.
- Example: Incineration of waste with energy recovery, composting that produces usable soil , or using construction waste used as aggregates.
Reuse
Reuse refers to any operation by which products or components that are not waste are used again for the same purpose. Unlike recycling, reuse does not involve any reprocessing of the material.
Disposal
Disposal means any operation that is not recovery and refers to getting rid of waste without any intent of recovering any usable resources from it. This includes landfill and incineration without energy recovery.
- Example: Sending waste to landfill or burning waste in incinerators without capturing the energy produced.
Exemption
Some waste activities are carried out at facilities operating under a registered waste exemption rather than a full environmental permit.
When this applies, the waste management route will display as “Exemption”, it does not contribute to the 'landfill' figure. These facilities are identified directly from the EA/SEPA/NRW databases. The “Exemption” category ensures that these operations are still reported clearly and transparently in your WMR data.
The Waste Framework Directive (2008/98/EC) sets the overall framework for waste management in the UK and EU.
The Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2011 are the primary regulations that define and manage waste disposal, recycling, and recovery in England and Wales.
Each of these concepts forms part of the waste hierarchy, which prioritizes waste prevention, followed by reuse, recycling, other forms of recovery, and finally disposal as the least preferred option.
Further information can be found here:
https://ismwaste.co.uk/help/what-is-the-waste-hierarchy
http://www.wastesupport.co.uk/recovery-and-disposal-codes/