Councils in England have been warned they face multi-million pound fines if they miss EU targets for reducing the amount of waste they send to landfills. In a report by the Audit Commission, they claim delays in building incinerators could lead to councils missing the targets, which come into force in 2010.
The first target of reducing landfill waste to 75% of 1995 levels by 2010 is on course to be met, however there are concerns over the second target of 50% by 2013. The Commission said that investment in waste disposal technologies that converted waste into energy or fuel would have the most significant impact on landfill reduction. But they warned that delays in building incinerators and other forms of disposal pose the greatest threat to meeting the targets.
Despite increasing the amount of rubbish recycled four-fold in ten years, half the waste produced still ends up in landfill, producing the potent greenhouse gas methane. Many councils favour incineration as the best way of dealing with residual waste, but despite a cleaner and safer generation of incinerators, many campaign groups are fighting schemes and preferring methods like the mechanical and biological treatment of waste.
In other Landfill news, both Wales and Scotland have met their latest targets on the amount of biodegradable municipal waste they can send to landfill.
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