By Vivienne Russell
8 July 2010
Britain’s landfill space will run out in eight years unless recycling rates are boosted, council leaders warned today.
Latest figures reveal that the UK continues to dump more household waste in the ground than any other European country.
Analysis by the Local Government Association shows that British households send more than 18.8 million tonnes of rubbish to landfill every year – 2 million more tonnes than any other country in the European Union.
From the beginning of April this year, landfill tax paid by councils rose to £48 per tonne. This will increase by £8 per tonne each year until 2014/15. By 2020, the government will face fines of up to £180m a year if landfill targets are not met.
Gary Porter, chair of the LGA’s environment board, said: ‘An area the size of Warwick is already being used to dump Britain’s rubbish and unless there are radical changes in the way we produce and dispose of our waste, it is estimated we will run out of landfill space in less than eight years.
‘With the current financial squeeze that all councils are facing, it is more important than ever that they work with residents to make sure as much rubbish as possible is recycled to avoid being hit by heavy fines.
‘For decades, people used to be able to throw away their rubbish without worrying about the environmental or financial consequences. Those days have gone. Taxpayers face huge financial penalties if targets to reduce the amount of rubbish sent to landfill are not met.’
8 July 2010
Britain’s landfill space will run out in eight years unless recycling rates are boosted, council leaders warned today.
Latest figures reveal that the UK continues to dump more household waste in the ground than any other European country.
Analysis by the Local Government Association shows that British households send more than 18.8 million tonnes of rubbish to landfill every year – 2 million more tonnes than any other country in the European Union.
From the beginning of April this year, landfill tax paid by councils rose to £48 per tonne. This will increase by £8 per tonne each year until 2014/15. By 2020, the government will face fines of up to £180m a year if landfill targets are not met.
Gary Porter, chair of the LGA’s environment board, said: ‘An area the size of Warwick is already being used to dump Britain’s rubbish and unless there are radical changes in the way we produce and dispose of our waste, it is estimated we will run out of landfill space in less than eight years.
‘With the current financial squeeze that all councils are facing, it is more important than ever that they work with residents to make sure as much rubbish as possible is recycled to avoid being hit by heavy fines.
‘For decades, people used to be able to throw away their rubbish without worrying about the environmental or financial consequences. Those days have gone. Taxpayers face huge financial penalties if targets to reduce the amount of rubbish sent to landfill are not met.’
