Landfill

Landfill adversely affects our environment – it can cause water pollution through leakage. It can also produce methane (a powerful greenhouse gas). Communities do not want landfill sites on their doorstep due to pollution from noise, traffic, litter and smells.

EU directives and difficulties over planning permission limit the areas available to landfill. We generate over 30 million tonnes of household waste annually. This is expected to double by 2020.

Approximately 35% of this waste comes from packaging.

Conventional plastics take between 200 and 500 years to break down in landfill.

The UK government has an obligation to recycle or compost 30% of its waste by 2010.

These obligations have been passed to local authorities.