Landfill
In the past we have relied on landfill as the main way to dispose of our waste. We are working to reduce the amount of waste we send to landfill to protect the environment and to reduce costs.
How much waste do we send to landfill?
In 2010/11 we sent 216,000 tonnes to landfill which is just over half of the waste we handle.
The amount of waste we send to landfill has been decreasing. This is because recycling and composting rates have been increasing. And the total amount of waste being produced by households and businesses has gone down. This is due to people choosing to throw away less and the effects of the recent economic downturn. We currently recycle/compost 42 per cent of our waste.
Why can't we continue to landfill waste?
The Waste Hierarchy sets out the best way to deal with waste. It shows that disposal through landfill should be the last resort. There will however be some kinds of waste for which landfill will be the best way for disposal.
Here are the main reasons why we can't continue to landfill waste:
- Damages the Environment - When waste rots it produces greenhouse gases such as methane and carbon dioxide. Despite efforts to capturemethane from landfill a large amount still escapes to the atmosphere. These gases contribute to climate change.
- Wastes resources - Materials and resources which could be recycled are lost and new products have to be made with new raw materials and energy.
- National and European legislation - We are required to reduce waste sent to landfill. The European Union has set the UK targets to limit the amount of biodegradable waste landfilled.
- Landfill sites are filling up.
- Cost is increasing - The cost of landfilling waste is increasing significantly year on year. Every tonne of waste we landfill we have to pay a disposal cost and landfill tax. In 2010/11 we paid about £12.2m in landfill tax alone. Landfill tax is set to increase annually until 2014, meaning that this bill alone will rise by around £3.1m over this period.
What happens to old landfill sites?
After landfill sites are full and restored they will need to be closely monitored and maintained to ensure that the environment continues to be protected.
We look after a number of former landfill sites which were operated and/or owned by us in the past. We make sure they meet all statutory and legal obligations, Environment Agency guidance and Environmental Permits.