MoreThanWaste.com - LGA wages War on Waste (08/01/2007)

"Central government should give councils ’save-as-you-throw’ powers to help encourage people to take more responsibility for the way they throw their rubbish away. If save-as-you-throw were introduced it would mean a reduction in council tax and a separate charge for waste collection. It would also require a change in the law"

Cllr Bettison, LGA

The Local Government Association has launched its War on Waste campaign, as new figures are published that show that the UK is depositing more waste into landfill than other European countries.

The launch took place on Lambeth Pier near Lambeth Bridge in London.

The LGA, which represents more than 400 local authorities, considers that the figures show that the UK "is officially the ‘dustbin of Europe’ as it dumps more household waste into landfill than any other country in the European Union".

The analysis, undertaken by the LGA, shows that households in the UK send more than 26.8million tonnes of waste to landfill per annum.

Cllr Paul Bettison, LGA

The figures also show that we deposit 7million tonnes more waste into landfill than any other country in Europe according to the organisation. Germany which has a population 25% larger than the UK disposes of less than half the amount to landfill.

The timing of the LGA announcement is clearly intended to put pressure on the Government as it comes to a conclusion on the revisions to the national waste strategy on waste. In particular the LGA would like to see charging of householders according to the amounts of waste they put in the residual bin.

Cllr Paul Bettison, Chairman of the LGA Environment Board, said:

“Central government should give councils ’save-as-you-throw’ powers to help encourage people to take more responsibility for the way they throw their rubbish away. If save-as-you-throw were introduced it would mean a reduction in council tax and a separate charge for waste collection. It would also require a change in the law."

“Councils want a power, not a duty, so authorities can decide what’s best for their local areas. It’s not about paying more it’s about paying in a different way. It’s also fairer because if you throw out less you pay less.”

European landfill league table

The countries with the highest amount of household rubbish thrown into landfill each year are:-

UK   26.8m
Italy   19.6m
Spain   17.1m
France   13.5m
Germany   9.9m
Ireland   7.6m
Greece   4.4m
Portugal   3.4m
Austria   1.6m
Finland   1.5m
Belgium   0.6m
Sweden   0.6m
Netherlands   0.3m
Denmark   0.2m
Luxembourg   0.07m

(based on 2003-04 statistics)

Council leaders have warned that an area the size of Warwick is already taken up by landfill. They further consider that if the current trend continues it is estimated the country will run out of landfill space in less than nine years time.

The problem with the league table is that it does not compare like with like. As the UK has a relatively large population it would be expected to dispose of more waste. However we cannot get away from the fact that the UK is not yet yet recycling and composting as much as our European neighbours, though we started from a low base level and both Government and local authorities are now making great strides.

The War on Waste campaign

Over the coming months, the War on Waste campaign will stress that there needs to be a radical approach to the amount of waste produced and way in which it is thrown away. Local people, businesses, central government and councils all have a vital role to play to protect the environment, to stop climate change and cut the amount of rubbish that is produced and thrown away.

Local government leaders will warn that, unless there are changes in waste habits by householders, shops, businesses and manufacturers; recycling rates will not rise fast enough to meet the EU Landfill Directive and help tackle climate change.

Councils, and consequently the taxpayer, are facing potential fines of up to £150 per tonne of waste that is sent to landfill (though these fines would only apply if the UK disposed of waste to landfill in quantities above the thresholds stated in the Landfill Directive after applying the available 4 year derogation).

According to the National Audit Office, fines of up to £200million could hit taxpayers for the failure to cut the amount that is disposed of in landfills.

Chairman of the LGA Environment Board

Cllr Paul Bettison, Chairman of the LGA Environment Board, said:

“Britain is the dustbin of Europe with more rubbish being thrown into landfill than any other country on the continent. For decades people have been used to being able to throw their rubbish away without worrying about the consequences. Those days are now over."

“The Local Government Association is launching the War on Waste campaign because there needs to be an urgent and radical overhaul of the way in which rubbish is thrown away. Local people, businesses and councils all have a vital role to play to protect our countryside before it becomes buried in a mountain of rubbish."

“Councils are on the frontline in the fight against climate change and are working hard to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill. But ultimately we must make sure less waste is produced in the first place.

“Manufacturers must be made to pay towards the cost of getting rid of single use items like nappies, batteries and throw-away cameras. The only way to dispose of these products is to send them to landfill. They can’t be recycled."

“It is time manufacturers were made to take full responsibility for the life cycle of their products. It is totally unacceptable that the council tax payer is picking up the bill for business. The government should ensure that it is the polluter, and not people, that pay.”


	LGA wages War on Waste (08/01/2007) "Central government should give councils ’save-as-you-throw’ powers to help encourage people to take more responsibility for the way they throw their rubbish away. If save-as-you-throw were introduced it would mean a reduction in council tax and a separate charge for waste collection. It would also require a change in the law" Cllr Bettison, LGA The Local Government Association has launched its War on Waste campaign, as new figures are published that show that the UK is depositing more waste into landfill than other European countries. The launch took place on Lambeth Pier near Lambeth Bridge in London. The LGA, which represents more than 400 local authorities, considers that the figures show that the UK "is officially the ‘dustbin of Europe’ as it dumps more household waste into landfill than any other country in the European Union". The analysis, undertaken by the LGA, shows that households in the UK send more than 26.8million tonnes of waste to landfill per annum. Cllr Paul Bettison, LGA The figures also show that we deposit 7million tonnes more waste into landfill than any other country in Europe according to the organisation. Germany which has a population 25% larger than the UK disposes of less than half the amount to landfill. The timing of the LGA announcement is clearly intended to put pressure on the Government as it comes to a conclusion on the revisions to the national waste strategy on waste. In particular the LGA would like to see charging of householders according to the amounts of waste they put in the residual bin. Cllr Paul Bettison, Chairman of the LGA Environment Board, said: “Central government should give councils ’save-as-you-throw’ powers to help encourage people to take more responsibility for the way they throw their rubbish away. If save-as-you-throw were introduced it would mean a reduction in council tax and a separate charge for waste collection. It would also require a change in the law." “Councils want a power, not a duty, so authorities can decide what’s best for their local areas. It’s not about paying more it’s about paying in a different way. It’s also fairer because if you throw out less you pay less.” European landfill league table The countries with the highest amount of household rubbish thrown into landfill each year are:- UK 26.8m Italy 19.6m Spain 17.1m France 13.5m Germany 9.9m Ireland 7.6m Greece 4.4m Portugal 3.4m Austria 1.6m Finland 1.5m Belgium 0.6m Sweden 0.6m Netherlands 0.3m Denmark 0.2m Luxembourg 0.07m (based on 2003-04 statistics) Council leaders have warned that an area the size of Warwick is already taken up by landfill. They further consider that if the current trend continues it is estimated the country will run out of landfill space in less than nine years time. The problem with the league table is that it does not compare like with like. As the UK has a relatively large population it would be expected to dispose of more waste. However we cannot get away from the fact that the UK is not yet yet recycling and composting as much as our European neighbours, though we started from a low base level and both Government and local authorities are now making great strides. The War on Waste campaign Over the coming months, the War on Waste campaign will stress that there needs to be a radical approach to the amount of waste produced and way in which it is thrown away. Local people, businesses, central government and councils all have a vital role to play to protect the environment, to stop climate change and cut the amount of rubbish that is produced and thrown away. Local government leaders will warn that, unless there are changes in waste habits by householders, shops, businesses and manufacturers; recycling rates will not rise fast enough to meet the EU Landfill Directive and help tackle climate change. Councils, and consequently the taxpayer, are facing potential fines of up to £150 per tonne of waste that is sent to landfill (though these fines would only apply if the UK disposed of waste to landfill in quantities above the thresholds stated in the Landfill Directive after applying the available 4 year derogation). According to the National Audit Office, fines of up to £200million could hit taxpayers for the failure to cut the amount that is disposed of in landfills. Chairman of the LGA Environment Board Cllr Paul Bettison, Chairman of the LGA Environment Board, said: “Britain is the dustbin of Europe with more rubbish being thrown into landfill than any other country on the continent. For decades people have been used to being able to throw their rubbish away without worrying about the consequences. Those days are now over." “The Local Government Association is launching the War on Waste campaign because there needs to be an urgent and radical overhaul of the way in which rubbish is thrown away. Local people, businesses and councils all have a vital role to play to protect our countryside before it becomes buried in a mountain of rubbish." “Councils are on the frontline in the fight against climate change and are working hard to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill. But ultimately we must make sure less waste is produced in the first place. “Manufacturers must be made to pay towards the cost of getting rid of single use items like nappies, batteries and throw-away cameras. The only way to dispose of these products is to send them to landfill. They can’t be recycled." “It is time manufacturers were made to take full responsibility for the life cycle of their products. It is totally unacceptable that the council tax payer is picking up the bill for business. The government should ensure that it is the polluter, and not people, that pay.”