Businesses are key in fight to hit EU landfill targets

Businesses and households will have to step up efforts to curb waste levels if the UK is to have any chance of meeting EU landfill targets and avoiding a multi-million pound fine, according to new research released yesterday.

Under a 1999 EU directive, the UK must reduce the amount of biodegradable waste going to landfill sites by 25 per cent on 1995 levels by 2010, before hitting a 50 per cent target by 2013 and a 65 per cent goal by 2020.

However, according to a poll of 60 senior executives from across the waste industry, carried out by law firm Norton Rose, the majority believe the UK will miss the medium- and long-term targets. While 55 per cent of respondents predicted next year's target will be met, over two-thirds said the UK will not meet the 2013 target.

The survey also revealed a growing sense that the private sector will have to lead efforts to cut waste levels by limiting waste in the first place and increasing investment in alternatives to landfill such as biomass power plants and recycling facilities. Over 95 per cent of respondents said the private sector had a key role to play in meeting the targets, an increase on the 75 per cent who thought the private sector should lead the way back in 2006.

Mark Berry, a partner at Norton Rose LLP, said that the pessimism over the targets was a consequence of the government's failure to deliver a coherent waste strategy. "Unfortunately, the government has concluded there is no overall consensus about measures to encourage use of waste biomass," he said. " Our waste to energy policy ought to be better organised and more focused."

His comments were supported by the results of the survey, which saw nearly three-quarters of respondents identify planning issues as the main barrier to the construction of biomass plants.

If the UK does not meet the requirements, the country will face an initial fine thought to be around £180m. If the 2013 and 2020 targets are also missed, the fine would rise to an estimated £500m. The Local Government Association warned earlier this year that any fines would inevitably be passed on to businesses and households in the form of higher taxes.

The report noted that where local governments have increased investment in tackling landfill, they have proved successful at reducing waste levels. In Wales, for example, the assembly government has provided councils with £24m for waste schemes and, as a result, all 22 local authorities hit the 2010 target a year early. Similarly, some councils in England, such as Camden, have established waste to energy plants to power vehicles and provide electricity, but under their own funding.

In related news, Ireland, the first nation to tax plastic bags, has this week doubled its levy to €44 cents (40p) per bag. The policy was introduced in 2002 and has already generated more than €120m in revenue.