Britain warned on landfill targets

The UK has been warned that it is in danger of missing its targets to reduce the amount of rubbish being sent to landfill by 50 per cent by the end of 2013.

Research released by the Local Government Association (LGA) shows that Britain is at the bottom of the list when it comes to reducing the amount of waste that is still going into landfill sites.

Figures for 2007 show that the UK threw 19.9 million tonnes of rubbish into the ground, compared with 14.7 million tonnes in Italy, its nearest rival in the league.

The LGA is calling for drastic changes to be made in the way that Britain gets rid of its waste.

Although the organisation acknowledged that the country has taken significant steps forward - the amount of rubbish salvaged from landfill increased from 19 per cent in 2004 to 38 per cent in 2009 - it has warned that this is still not enough.

Climate change is not the only factor pushing local councils to improve their recycling facilities and therefore reduce landfill waste.

If the UK misses its strict EU targets, local authorities - and consequently council taxpayers - could find themselves with fines of up to £200 million.

Posted by Lauren Steadman