Reducing the Reliance on Landfill in England, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs : House of Commons Papers 2005-06, 1177

In 1999, the European Union introduced a Directive that requires the UK to reduce the amount of biodegradable waste disposed of in landfill.

By 2010, we have to landfill 75 per cent of the amount landfilled in 1995.

This figure reduces to 50 per cent by 2013 and 35 per cent by 2020.

If the target is not met then the UK could be fined for non-compliance.

So far, DEFRA has spent GBP 336 million on initiatives to reduce the amount of landfill, but reductions have been offset by growth in the amount of waste produced and there is a risk that the targets will not be met.

An emphasis on recycling alone is not enough. DEFRA needs to focus on helping the 25 authorities that send most to landfill and help develop alternative waste facilities, as well as encouraging more households to recycle and compost. This examination of the problem is in four parts: England needs to reduce the amount of biodegradable municipal waste disposed through landfill; earlier delays I taking action made European Union targets more difficult to achieve; without a step change in existing local authority plans, England will not achieve its share of the reductions in landfill the European Union requires by 2010 and 2013; and, recycling and minimisation need to contribute more to reducing the amount of biodegradable municipal waste sent to landfill.