Landfill decision 'not made quickly enough'

Decisions on meeting EU guidelines on landfill waste in England are taking too long and costing local councils dearly in the meanwhile, it has been claimed.

According to the National Audit Office (NAO), England may miss EU targets on landfill waste, which could result in millions of pounds of fines.

This is due to the lack of action on the part of the government to assist councils in their goals, it adds.

The current target, set in 1999, is for the country to halve the amount of biodegradable waste its sends to landfill by 2013, using 1995 levels as a comparison point.

Head of the NAO Tim Burr stated: "At the rate at which projects are being delivered, England is at risk of missing the 2013 EU landfill reduction target, leaving the UK open to the possibility of fines."

Meanwhile, the Western Mail reported last week that the Lamby Way landfill site in Wales is nearing the end of its capacity and an alternative to waste disposal therefore needs to be devised soon.