We are consuming the earth’s natural resources at an increasingly unsustainable rate. We have to change our methods of waste management if we continue with our lifestyles of high consumerism.

The government have highlighted key proposals for action (www.defra.gov.uk) and now have outlined their ideas for improving waste management.

• Incentivise efforts to reduce, re-use, recycle waste and recover energy from waste;
• Reform regulation to drive the reduction of waste and diversion from landfill while reducing costs to compliant business and the regulators;
• Target action on materials, products and sectors with the greatest scope for improving environmental and economic outcomes;
• Stimulate investment in collection, recycling and recovery infrastructure, and markets for recovered materials that will maximise the value of materials and energy recovered; and
• Improve national, regional and local governance, with a clearer performance and institutional framework to deliver better coordinated action and services on the ground.

Land fill

The amount of space required to be used for landfill is unsustainable and the need for alternatives is critical. Although we are creating more rubbish than ever, the amount of landfill waste is being reduced (falling from 80 million tonnes to 65 million tonnes between 2001 and 2006 (defra)).

In the past the UK has been very reliant on landfill. Of the municipal waste produced in 2001 79% was landfilled with only 12% recycled or composted 8% was reused to create energy.

In 2002 the EU brought in the Landfill (England and Wales) Regulations 2002 to begin to change the way the UK deals with waste. The directive was introduced gradually to give UK industry time to adapt.

From October 2007 the Landfill Directive set out the pre-treatment requirements including the treatment of all non-hazardous waste (including commercial and industrial) before it can go to landfill. This includes a physical, thermal, chemical or biological process - which can include sorting - to change the characteristics of the waste to either reduce its volume, reduce its hazardous nature, facilitate its handling, or enhance its recovery.

Municipal waste has in the past, trailed behind in terms of recycling and recovery. About 68% of municipal household waste is biodegradable, and a key contributor to the greenhouse gas methane, when landfilled.

The Landfill Directive aims to reduce the environmental imapct of municipal waste. Because the UK is historically dependant on landfill, it has been given an additional four years to meet European targets.
The EU has set the following goals (based on the weight of biodegradable municipal waste (BMW) landfilled from 1995):

• Reduce land fill to 75% of 1995 level by 2010
• Reduce land fill to 50% of 1995 level by 2013
• Reduce land fill to 35% of 1995 level by 2020

Also, the government’s Waste Strategy for England 2007 outlines the following:

• Recycling and composting of household waste - at least 40% by 2010, 45% by 2015 and 50% by 2020;
• Recovery of municipal waste - 53% by 2010, 67% by 2015 and 75% by 2020.

The Packaging Waste Directive will also be a part of achieving these goals, as will the annual increase in the Landfill Tax of £8 per tonne per year from 2008. The government hopes, composting, recycling and incineration will make landfill the least attractive option. For waste disposal authorities, the main target driver set by the government to reach Landfill Directive targets is the Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme (LATS). In April 2005, English waste disposal authorities have to contend with strict limits on the landfilling of biodegradable municipal waste. These limits can be extended by the trading of surplus allowances between authorities. (www.letsrecycle.com)