LGA calls for change as UK finishes bottom of EU rubbish league
Council leaders raise doubts over whether the country will meet landfill targets
18 Nov 2009
The UK is still sending more household waste to landfill than any other country in the EU, figures from the Local Government Association (LGA) have revealed.
Council leaders have warned that there remains a “serious risk” that Britain will miss European targets to cut rubbish being landfilled by 2013, which it said could lead to councils and council taxpayers facing fines of £200 million.
The research showed that, throughout 2007, the EU countries with the highest amount of household rubbish sent to landfill included: the UK (19.9 million tonnes); Italy (14.7 million tonnes); Spain (14.3 million tonnes); France (11.4 million tonnes) and Poland (11.2 million tonnes).
The LGA said the government “needs to take the threat of EU bin fines more seriously” and called for it to: give back the money councils pay in bin taxes so they can invest in better recycling facilities, like energy from waste plants, or industrial scale composting toughen targets for shops and businesses to cut back on excessive packaging set out clearly how it expects Britain to meet 2013 and 2020 landfill targets.
Under the EU Landfill Directive, by 2013 the level of biodegradable waste being landfilled must be reduced to 50% of that produced in 1995 and by 2020 this increases to 35% of 1995 levels.
Local authorities currently have to pay £40 for every tonne of waste they throw away. This is set to increase by £8 per year until 2013, meaning that in three years’ time it could cost councils in the region of £72 to throw away a tonne of waste.
Councillor Gary Porter, chairman of the LGA Environment Board, said: ”Even though recycling rates have more than doubled in the last five years, Britain is still throwing more rubbish in the ground than any other country on the continent. People have done a brilliant job in recent years to recycle more, but there is still a long way to go if we are to avoid huge EU bin fines.
“There needs to be an urgent and radical overhaul of how the nation throws its rubbish away. By going back on its undertaking to refund to councils the money raised through landfill tax, the government is making it much tougher for the UK to meet its rubbish targets.”
Porter added: “Councils could use the money they pay to the government in bin taxes to invest in new technology that would make it even easier for people to recycle. Already, one council is introducing a new supermarket style reward scheme to encourage people to recycle more and they are working with businesses to cut the amount of rubbish that ends up in people’s bins in the first place.
“With the money from government bin taxes, councils could do even more to make sure the UK isn’t hit with crippling EU bin fines in a few years time.”
While landfill tax is increasing by £8 per tonne until 2013, Defra said it will be reviewed nearer the time as to how much it will rise after that.
However, the Conservative Party said if it comes to power it would put a floor under the 2013 level of landfill tax at £72 per tonne until 2020.
The Liberal Democrats called for further investment of money accumulated through landfill tax back into recycling infrastructure.
Tim Farron, shadow environment, food and rural affairs secretary for the Liberal Democrats, said: “It’s appalling that Britain still sends more household waste to landfill than any other country in Europe.
“The government has gone back on its promise to town halls to let them reinvest landfill tax in recycling schemes. Penny-pinching ministers are in effect saying local taxpayers should pick up the tab. Waste reduction must be our priority. The government must set out a strategy to massively cut all household rubbish by 2020.”
Farron went on to say: “We must see councils given the freedom to experiment with waste charging and renewed efforts to curb excessive packaging. The law needs to be changed so that producers are responsible for all products that are difficult to recycle.”