We all need to become more sustainable – to reduce our consumption of precious raw materials and to throw away less. Rubbish is a major problem across the county. Our 2 remaining landfill sites will be full in around 8 years and, with the overall volume of rubbish increasing by some 5% each year, we have to drive our recycling effort forward.

We all need to look to reduce, reuse and recycle as much of our waste as we possibly can. There are a number of benefits that can be associated with living more sustainably - both environmentally and financially.

All householders have a duty of care to dispose of their waste in a responsible way. All waste must be disposed of through appropriate channels.

Reducing the amounts we throw away can reduce greenhouse gas emissions (a main cause of global climate change)

Waste decomposing in landfill sites and the environment is now recognised as being the UK’s biggest man-made source of methane releases entering the atmosphere. Unit for unit, methane has a greater global warming potential than carbon dioxide. This makes it one of the main causes of the greenhouse effect - which can lead to global warming and climate change.

We can all help to reduce this effect by reducing the amounts of waste that we throw away, reusing as much as possible and recycling the waste that we do generate. Every person can make a difference!

Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme (LATS)

On April 1st 2005 the Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme (LATS) was launched in England as a response to the targets set out in the 1999 European Landfill Directive. This Directive is aimed at reducing the amount of biodegradable municipal waste (BMW) sent to landfill.

The reduction targets set by the Landfill Directive are:
• By 2010 to reduce the amount of BMW going to landfill to 75% of that produced in 1995;
• By 2013 to reduce the amount of BMW going to landfill to 50% of that produced in 1995;
• By 2020 to reduce the amount of BMW going to landfill to 35% of that produced in 1995;

The Waste and Emissions Trading (WET) Act (2003) provides the legal framework for LATS and for the allocation of tradable landfill allowances to each waste disposal authority in England. These allowances give each waste disposal authority the right to landfill a certain amount of BMW each year between 2005 and 2020.

Each waste disposal authority can determine how to use its allocation of allowances in the most effective way. It is able to trade allowances with other authorities, save them for future years (bank) or use some of its future allowances in advance (borrow). This allows individual waste disposal authorities to use their allowances in accordance with their waste management strategy (adapted from Defra).

Failure to work within the allowances held by a waste disposal authority could result in fines to the authority of £150 per tonne for every tonne of BMW landfilled over its allowance. The potential fines increase further if the scheme year (2010, 2013 and 2020) targets are not met.

The cost of landfilling Wiltshire’s waste is increasing each year so it is vitally important that we reduce the amount of waste we send to landfill – by reducing, reusing and recycling. This will help to keep waste disposal costs down, which have an impact on the amount of council tax that householders pay.

Details of how Wiltshire is currently performing against its allowances can be found in the Wiltshire Waste Partnership Performance Report (Page 10) – click here.

For more information on LATS, visit the Defra website – click here


Page last checked Feb 2008