From 1 April 2011, the UK's first environmental tax increased by £8 per tonne, making the cost of sending waste to landfill £56 per tonne.
The landfill tax was originally introduced by the Conservative Environment Minister Lord Gummer in 1996, with the aim of forcing local authorities to recycle and attempting to help the UK meet its European targets under the Landfill Directive 1999/31/EC.
In 2008, it was announced that the tax would increase by £8 per tonne per year until 2010. This date was later revised and 2014 is now the end date for any increases, by which time landfill tax will stand at £80 per tonne.
Environment Minister Caroline Spelman, earlier this year, said, "The landfill tax has been an important factor, and will continue to be, not only in reducing landfill, but in achieving recognition that what we call waste is actually a resource and a valuable one too."
For more information, see the:
