Local authorities in England and Wales spent £4.3bn during 2007/08 dealing with waste, latest figures have revealed, prior to the Government outlining plans to make the UK a ‘zero waste nation’.
Data collected by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountability and Welsh Assembly also found that district councils now spent one-third of council tax revenue on waste.
The research preceded an announcement by the Department for Environment and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to create six pilot ‘zero waste places’ in order to develop innovative ideas to cut waste.
Communities secretary, John Denham, said: ‘If we continue to send recyclable or compostable waste to landfill, we are missing a major opportunity to generate heat and energy, and a chance to turn that waste into money.’
Environment secretary, Hilary Benn, highlighted new technologies – such as anaerobic digestion – as key for achieving a 75% recycle rate for household waste in 10 years’ time, and cutting the amount of waste going to landfill by more than 50% in England.
‘To do this, all of us – government, authorities, businesses and consumers – must do our bit. And we must make this moment the turning point on our journey to eliminate wasteful waste,’ he said.
However, the Local Government Association (LGA) has claimed the amount councils spend on waste management was likely to keep rising as higher landfill taxes hit authorities. The LGA added it was concerned that this could also affect other frontline services.
At a waste summit this week, council chiefs told Mr Benn that such costs were putting an increasing burden on council taxpayers.They suggested the amount paid to the Government through landfill tax should instead be invested in new technology, in order to ensure 2013 European Union waste targets were met.
Cllr Gary Porter, chairman of the LGA environment board, said: ‘Councils face an ever-increasing bill for getting rid of the nation’s rubbish. There is now an increasing risk that town halls will fail to meet 2013 landfill targets, leaving councils and council taxpayers with a huge bill to pay.’
Register now for full access
Register just once to get unrestricted, real-time coverage of the issues and challenges facing UK transport and highways engineers.
Full website content includes the latest news, exclusive commentary from leading industry figures and detailed topical analysis of the highways, transportation, environment and place-shaping sectors.
Use the link below to register your details for full, free access.
Already a registered? Login
