Audit Commission

Councils could face fines totalling millions of pounds unless they deliver planned waste treatment facilities and keep up the pressure to reduce, reuse and recycle, according to an Audit Commission report published today (Thursday 25 September).

Well disposed: responding to the waste challenge, says the UK can meet European Union Landfill Directive targets to reduce the amount of waste that gets dumped in landfill by 2013.

It congratulates people and councils for their ongoing efforts to recycle and reduce the amount of waste produced in the first place. Recycling rates have quadrupled since 1999 and have dramatically reduced the amount of waste that ends up in the dump.

But the Commission's report warns councils that they cannot rely solely on creating less waste and recycling more if the 2013 target is to be achieved.

It says investment in waste disposal technologies that convert waste into energy or fuel will have the most significant impact on landfill reduction and that delays to the projects currently underway pose the greatest threat to achieving the target.

These are major, often controversial, projects that cost a minimum of £20 million and can take ten years or more to deliver. Together they will create additional capacity for 6.4 million tonnes of waste. But if schemes already planned were delayed by just two years, England would exceed its landfill allocation by 13 per cent and incur £140 million in penalties which would be picked up by the taxpayer.

Chairman of the Audit Commission, Michael O'Higgins, said:
'People are waking up to waste. Millions of cans, bottles and plastic bags now get recycled into other things instead of getting dumped in a hole in the ground. But you only have to look in your own bin to see that not everything you throw away can be recycled, so we've got to find somewhere other than landfill to put it. We must keep up the pressure to reduce, reuse and recycle but if we are to avoid being heavily fined for failing to meet the 2013 target then we must also push ahead with the treatment plants that are in the pipeline.'

Councils that are struggling to find effective ways of reducing their landfill cannot afford to do nothing. Even if England as a whole meets the 2013 target, those authorities that exceed their individual landfill allocations could still be facing fines of as much as £2 million each. This bill could only be paid by increasing council tax or cutting services.

The Commission says these authorities must act quickly but carefully and choose which of the range of disposal options available gives them a solution which is both value for money and environmentally sound.

Notes to editors

1. The European Union Landfill Directive requires the UK to reduce the amount of biodegradable municipal waste landfilled to 75 per cent, 50 per cent and 35 per cent of its 1995 level by 2010, 2013 and 2020 respectively. If the UK does not meet these targets, the government and therefore taxpayers face the threat of fines at a national level. If the national target was exceeded by ten per cent, English councils would share penalties of around £100 million.
2. The responsibility for collecting and disposing of waste lies with single and upper tier councils, which are designated waste disposal authorities (WDAs). For more information about individual councils go to the Defra website.
3. The Audit Commission's report covers the disposal of municipal waste, which includes the rubbish you throw away at home for the council to collect, rubbish you take to the local dump, and some rubbish put out by shops, offices and restaurants. It does not include construction or demolition waste.
4. In 2006/07 English councils dealt with over 29 million tonnes of waste, almost 26 million tonnes of which was generated by households. Around one third was recycled or composted but over half was sent to landfill.
5. Collecting municipal waste cost councils £1.15 billion in 2006/07. Disposal cost a further £1.46 billion.
6. As part of research for Well Disposed: responding to the waste challenge all English councils with responsibility for waste disposal were surveyed. Responses were given by 50 per cent of disposal authorities, which between them manage 54 per cent of England's waste (2006/07).
7. Fieldwork was conducted on 12 sites representing a range of authorities, geography, demographic profile, performance and methods.
8. The Audit Commission is an independent watchdog, driving economy, efficiency and effectiveness in local public services to deliver better outcomes for everyone. Our work across local government, health, housing, community safety and fire and rescue services means that we have a unique perspective. We promote value for money for taxpayers, covering £180 billion spent by 11,000 local public bodies. As a force for improvement, we work in partnership to assess local public services and make practical recommendations for promoting a better quality of life for people.