The Environment Minister has congratulated Wales’ local authorities for collectively achieving their 2013 target to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill a year early.

Friday 31 August 2012

The Landfill Allowances Scheme helps Wales to meet its obligations under the EU Landfill Directive. The Directive aims to reduce the pollution potential from waste by capping the amount of biodegradable municipal waste Welsh councils can send to landfill at 50 per cent of the amount produced in 1995 by 2013, and 35 per cent of the 1995 figure by 2020. Exceeding these allowances can lead to severe financial penalties.

The report, released by Environment Agency Wales, shows that between 1 April 2011 and 31 March 2012 all Wales’ twenty two local authorities achieved their individual 2011-12 targets and also collectively hit the 2013 target a year early.

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Between 1 April 2011 and 31 March 2012 local authorities sent 389,738 tonnes of biodegradable municipal waste to landfill, which was twenty nine per cent less than the allowance for 2011/12. Collectively, Welsh councils also cut the amount of biodegradable municipal waste sent to landfill by 560,262 tonnes against the 1995 figure, resulting in a reduction of fifty nine per cent.

As well as saving councils money, reducing the amount of biodegradable waste going to landfill also cuts greenhouse gas emissions and helps reduce climate change. Methane produced by the breakdown of biodegradable waste – such as paper, cardboard and kitchen scraps - in a landfill can have 25 times more impact on global temperature than carbon dioxide.

As a result, food waste is a key priority in Wales' waste strategy Towards Zero Waste and every council in Wales runs a kerbside food waste collection service, which covers nine out of ten households. The food waste collected is then composted or treated using anaerobic digestion to create biogas which can be used as a fuel.

(CD/GK)