Change - why it's needed

For decades, local authorities across the UK have dealt with most household waste by burying it in landfill sites, effectively big holes in the ground.  This has to change. 

We now know more about the effects of greenhouse gases.  As a result EU and UK policy now requires us all to reduce our reliance on landfill.  That's because landfill produces 41% of the methane, which is a major greenhouse gas, 23 times more potent than carbon dioxide. So like every other county in Britain, we must find new ways to deal with our household waste that is left over after recycling and composting.

Buckinghamshire households produce about 270,000 tonnes of waste a year.  Thanks to increasing recycling and composting, the county now recycles 43% of household waste.  Despite this and ambitious future recycling targets, waste is likely to increase due to population and household growth in the county.  If you would like to know more about waste, please download the background document below.

To deal with waste, the county and district councils work together as the Joint Waste Partnership for Buckinghamshire.  The Partnership has produced a strategy, about which the public have been widely consulted, committing us to:

• reducing waste at source as much as possible
• recycling/composting as much as we can
• and using what's left over whenever possible

To complement this, we need a technical solution to treat left over waste for three main reasons:

Environmental

It is important we don't just throw away natural resources.  Waste is a resource which can be used to produce energy and reduce our reliance on power generated by polluting, and increasing scarce fossil fuels.  Thus we can help to reduce these greenhouse gases as well as those produced by landfill. 

In respect of emission from EfW plants, the UK's National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory for 2007 (latest figures) shows EfW contributing a fraction of one per cent of dioxins and particulates to air, whereas industry and traffic account for more than 50% of particulates.  In September 2009, the Health Protection Agency reviewed the latest scientific evidence on the health effects of modern incinerators and concluded that any potential damage from modern, well-run and regulated incinerators is likely to be so small as to be undetectable.  The Agency's role is to provide expert advice on public health matters to Government, stakeholders and the public.

Legal

New EU laws to limit the environmental damage caused by landfill means we must reduce our biodegradable waste (food, paper, cardboard and garden waste) going to landfill.  The UK must cut this to 75% of 1995 levels by 2010, to 50% by 2013 and to 35% by 2020.

Financial

Government tells us how much biodegradable waste we can landfill each year.  If we go over the limit, we could be fined as much as £150 for every extra tonne.  UK Government can also pass on EU fines of £500,000 a year for missing targets.  We are also taxed on landfilling waste.  The landfill tax currently costs council tax payers £40 a tonne annually but is rising by £8 a tonne each year.  This tax is added to landfill disposal charges resulting in a total cost averaging £48 a tonne per year.  These costs would have to be passed onto council tax payers.

For more information call 0845 3708090 or email waste_strategy@buckscc.gov.uk

Related files (you may need Acrobat Reader to open)

• Energy from Waste - Your Questions Answered (PDF 199KB)
  
• Background information on waste (PDF 113KB)
  

Related pages

• Minerals and Waste Local Development Framework
• Core Strategy Development Plan Document

Other useful websites (these sites will open in a new window)

• Recycle for Buckinghamshire
• Recycle Now
• WRAP - material change for a better environment
• Defra - Department for environment, food and rural affairs
• Environment Agency
• National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory

We are not responsible for the content of external websites.