UK considers landfill ban on packaging and food waste
Moves to ensure that by 2020 all cans, cardboard and tin packing are recycled by local authorities were just some of the proposals from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) as it unveiled its Zero Waste Nation campaign.
Landfill ban
“Early next year we will consult on what recyclable and compostable items should be banned from landfill and how a ban will work,” said a Defra statement. Only items that “have absolutely no other use” should end up in landfill, it added.
The Government said that in 10 year’s time, 75 per cent of all household waste should be recycled.
Much of the initial burden is expected to fall on UK councils, with the Government declaring that they should offer a full recycling collection service by 2020 – including paper, card, cans, glass and plastic bottles, food and packaging.
They will also be encouraged to collect food waste “to make use of the technology and funding available to them to harness the power of energy from waste”.
Environment Secretary Hilary Benn said: “We need to rethink how we view and treat waste in the UK. Why do we send valuable items like aluminium and food waste to landfill when we can turn them into new cans and renewable energy? Why use more resources than we need to in manufacturing?”
Industry support
The British Plastics Federation (BPF) hailed the initiative, with director general Peter Davis saying: “Used plastics are a valuable resource, we want to recycle them. If that doesn’t make economic or environmental sense then they should go to Energy from Waste to provide much needed local energy.”
The Local Government Authority (LGA) also welcomed the plans but cautioned that councils in the UK would need greater funding if they were to meet these new objectives.
A spokesman from the body told FoodProductionDaily.com that the government should consider refunding landfill tax to local authorities in order to fund the “tougher targets”.
“The Government needs to realise that councils are being squeezed like nuts in a nutcracker”, he added.
