Summary
This Report, ‘Department
for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Reducing the Reliance on Landfill in
England’ (HC 212), looks at the issue of landfill in relation to the 1999 EU
Directive.
In landfill sites, biodegradable materials such as
food, vegetation and paper generate methane and other emissions to the soil and
water which can be harmful to health. The European Union introduced a Directive
in 1999 which set maximum allowances for the tonnage of biodegradable municipal
waste that each Member State could send to landfill from 2006 onwards.
Waste collection and disposal is a key responsibility of the 388 local
authorities in England and the Department for Environment Food and Rural
Affairs (Defra) has to work closely with them to enable the UK to comply with
this Directive. Non-compliance could result in a fine of up to £180 million a
year. The UK's historic reliance on landfill led to a four year extension to
the timetable but Defra took no effective action until 2003. Although 2005-06
saw a reduction of 2.3 million tonnes against the previous year, a further
reduction of 4.9 million tonnes will be required to comply with the 2013
maximum allowance set by the EU.
Much of the progress made has involved
an increase in recycling, due to public enthusiasm, but manufacturers and
retailers continue to use large amounts of packaging. Recycling alone will be
insufficient to comply with the Directive and new infrastructure -
energy-from-waste plants which incinerate, anaerobically digest, or compost
waste to generate electricity - will be necessary. However, such plants are
unpopular: they typically take nine years to become operational and there is a
significant risk that many will not be ready in time.
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How does it affect me?
If you are UK taxpayer or work in the waste disposal industry, this affects
you.
Edward Leigh MP, Chairman of the Committee of Public Accounts,
said:
“The Department must now take the tough decisions and practical
steps needed to promote large-scale recycling. This will involve making it
clear who is going to pay for the initiatives outlined in its latest strategy,
in May 2007. It will involve updating its systems for determining just how much
progress is being made against targets. And it will involve giving members of
the public – over half of whom are committed to recycling – clear guidance on
what they can and cannot put into their recycling bins.
“Waste treatment
centres around the country will be a critical factor in reducing the UK’s
reliance on landfill. The Department must start seriously engaging with the
obstacles in the way of bringing them on stream. The alternative is a
never-ending search for more holes in which to bury our rubbish mountain.”
Find out more about
the
Public
Accounts Committee
Read more on
recycling and waste
policy
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Department for Environment Food and Rural
Affairs