Related links:

EU Landfill Directive Landfill (England and Wales) Regulations 2002 Waste Strategy for England 2007

Traditionally the UK has been heavily reliant on landfill: of a total 28.2 million tonnes of municipal waste produced in 2000/01, 79% — about 23 million tonnes — was landfilled. Just 12% was recycled or composted and 8% was incinerated with energy recovery.

The waste we produce is growing by about 3% every year: this is more than the growth in GDP (2-2.5%) and one of the fastest European growth rates for waste. 

The Landfill Directive (1999/31/EC, which was adopted by the European Union in 1999, is beginning to drastically change the way the UK handles waste. The directive was brought into force in the UK on June 15 2002 as the Landfill (England and Wales) Regulations 2002, and since then it has been introduced bit-by-bit to give UK industry time to adapt.

The first requirement of the regulations was a ban on the co-disposal of hazardous waste with non-hazardous waste in landfills. Previously, UK landfills had accepted either inert materials only or both hazardous and non-hazardous material. From July 2004, 'non-hazardous' sites have been only allowed to accept non-hazardous waste, while 'hazardous' sites can accept only hazardous materials permitted by their licences. 

The Directive has banned whole tyres from landfill since 2003, with this ban extending to shredded tyres from July 2006, while liquid wastes have been banned from landfill since October 2007.

The Directive also brings with it tighter site monitoring and engineering standards. This is supplemented by the new European Waste Catalogue, which has extended the range of materials classified as 'hazardous', and the Waste Acceptance Criteria, which has introduced stringent pre-treatment requirements.

Since October 2007, the pre-treatment requirements of the Landfill Directive have included the need to treat all non-hazardous waste (including commercial and industrial) before it can go to landfill. This treatment must include a physical, thermal, chemical or biological process - which can include sorting - to change the characteristics of the waste to either reduce its volume, reduce its hazardous nature, facilitate its handling, or enhance its recovery.

Compared to industrial and commercial waste - which together came to 67.9 million tonnes according to the last Environment Agency survey undertaken in 2002/03 - the municipal waste stream is relatively small. But as the table to the right shows, the municipal fraction is trailing behind in terms of recycling and recovery. In addition to this, about 68% of municipal household waste is biodegradable, and therefore a major contributor to the production of the greenhouse gas methane, when landfilled.

For these reasons, the Landfill Directive focuses on reducing the impact of municipal waste. Because the UK is so dependent on landfill, it has been allowed an extra four years to meet European targets, leading to the following goals based on the weight of biodegradable municipal waste (BMW) landfilled in 1995:

• Reduce BMW landfilled to 75% of 1995 level by 2010
• Reduce BMW landfilled to 50% of 1995 level by 2013
• Reduce BMW landfilled to 35% of 1995 level by 2020

In addition, the government's Waste Strategy for England 2007, sets the following timetable:

• recycling and composting of household waste - at least 40% by 2010, 45% by 2015 and 50% 2020;
• recovery of municipal waste - 53% by 2010, 67% by 2015 and 75% by 2020.

Click here for the in-depth guide to the Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme (LATS) from letsrecycle.com.

The government hopes that recycling-focused legislation such as the Packaging Waste Directive will help to achieve these goals, as will the annual increase in the Landfill Tax of £8 per tonne per year from 2008. Then, the government hopes, composting, recycling and incineration will together eventually "crowd out" landfill.

For waste disposal authorities, the main target driver set by the government to reach Landfill Directive targets is the Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme (LATS). Since April 2005, English waste disposal authorities have to contend with strict limits on the landfilling of biodegradable municipal waste. These limits can be extended by the trading of surplus allowances between authorities.

To follow the progression of the Landfill Directive in the UK, as reported by letsrecycle.com, click on the dates below:

March 2008: The Environment Agency has said the UK must cut down on waste production levels since it has limited consented landfill capacity. March 2008: Landfill operators will be expected to provide written evidence from their customers that their waste has been pre-treated from April 30, as enforcement of the pre-treatment regulations is tightened. March 2008: Chancellor Alistair Darling has confirmed within his Budget that the Landfill Tax will rise by a third to £32 per tonne from April 1. February 2008: The Local Government Association has questioned where the revenue from the Landfill Tax has gone, suggesting the tax is no longer revenue-neutral for councils. February 2008: New government guidelines for waste disposal rules could cost councils thousands, as they require authorities to provide free disposal for institutions. February 2008: The operator of an illegal landfill site has had £1.2 million in assets seized, a record for an illegal waste management prosecution. December 2007: The Environment Agency has lost a major court case over its stance on "piggyback" landfill sites. November 2007: Defra will include new powers for local authorities to offer incentives for householders who recycle their waste - but only in pilot projects. October 2007: 72% of waste disposal authorities in England need to do more to meet their targets for reducing the amount of biodegradable waste going to landfill.

October 2007: Pre-Treatment Rules  Regulations requiring landfilled waste to be pre-treated  come into effect, with forecasts of a commercial recycling  revolution.

September 2007: Commingled recycling collections that include glass are becoming so popular in the UK that materials recycling facilities across the country are being developed or refitted to sort glass. September 2007: The extent of the "collapse" of the LATS market is emerging, with two of the UK's largest waste disposal authorities revealing a "substantial surplus" of landfill allowances available. September 2007: Defra is to commission £12.5 million worth of research to back up its new English waste strategy, including a look at the quality of recycling collections. September 2007: The Scottish Government is being urged to look at the possibility of direct charging for household waste collections, after being warned it is "unlikely" to meet landfill targets. September 2007: Welsh councils have cut the amount of waste they are sending to landfill but will "need to step up" to meet European targets by 2009/10. August 2007: Scottish local authorities have taken a formal stand on EfW declaring it a "safe" option and a real alternative to avoiding the financial penalties of landfill disposal. August 2007: The construction industry may have to adopt a zero waste to landfill approach by 2020 if a new strategy on tackling the sector's waste is given the go-ahead. July 2007: Plans to set up a network of "zero waste" areas across England to demonstrate excellent waste management practice are to be unveiled by the government this Autumn.

July 2007: Plans to encourage householders to recycle more rubbish are too timid, too complicated and unlikely to work, according to a Parliamentary committee.

July 2007: The Environment Agency has warned businesses that export "green list" wastes that the new Transfrontier Shipment on Waste Regulations have come into force.

July 2007: Environment Secretary Hilary Benn has proposed three new waste performance indicators for councils in England.

July 2007: Defra has confirmed that Joan Ruddock, MP for Lewisham and Deptford, will take on waste and recycling as part of her ministerial responsibilities.

July 2007: Continued uncertainty over the future of waste and recycling in Scotland has been reported following a change of government in May.

July 2007: Local authorities have been asked for their opinion on how municipal waste should be defined, under proposals to clarify the legal classification.

July 2007: The Environment Agency has welcomed a Court of Appeal ruling that should clear up confusion over the definition of waste oil.

June 2007: European Member States reached political  agreement on the revision of the Waste Framework  Directive, including the re-classification of certain incinerators.

July 2007: Hilary Benn has been named as Britain's new Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, by the new Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

May 2007: Waste Strategy for England 2007  After a long wait, Defra has unveiled its new waste strategy  for England, identifying roles for businesses, individuals, local authorities and the government in cutting waste.

May 2007: Energy White Paper  The government has proposed changes to its renewable  energy subsidy programme to support emerging technologies  including anaerobic digestion, gasification and pyrolysis.

May 2007: Local authorities could see their waste targets taking account of home composting activities from April 2008, if Defra gives final approval to a model developed by WRAP.

March 2007: Defra's long-awaited new waste strategy for England is now expected to be published in May, a senior Department official has said.

March 2007: Research for the revised waste strategy revealed uncertainties about the value of composting, a preference for burning of waste wood and energy questions for paper recyclers.

March 2007: The Scottish Executive has decided it will not be introducing "pay as you throw" charges for household waste, as it unveiled a new waste reduction plan.

February 2007: Europe looks set for difficult negotiations  over the new Directive on Waste  later this year, after  MEPs voted for ambitious new waste prevention and  recycling targets.

February 2007: Three companies have been prosecuted for improperly sending household waste to the Far East.

January 2007: The government has announced new powers for English local authorities, which will allow two or more councils to establish a statutory Joint Waste Authority.

January 2007: Councils have launched a "War on Waste" campaign calling for more help from central government to tackle UK waste arisings.

December 2006: Guidance is to be published next month over how to meet the pre-treatment requirements for sending non-hazardous wastes to landfill.

December 2006: Local authority officers now see the move towards new charging systems for household waste as "unstoppable".

December 2006: The MEP leading the European Parliament's revision of the Waste Framework Directive, has issued a blistering attack on the UK government's approach to the Landfill Directive.

December 2006: Chancellor Gordon Brown has confirmed that the government is considering the case for steeper increases in the Landfill Tax from 2008.

December 2006: National statements of the need for waste facilities should be drawn up, according to the Kate Barker review of planning.

December 2006: The High Court ruled in favour of the Environment Agency over whether waste oil processed into a fuel should still be counted as waste.

November 2006: MEPs called for waste prevention  targets to be set to halt the growth in waste production  in Europe, under the revised Waste Framework Directive.

November 2006: Duty of Care consultation  Defra is reviewing legislation on waste Duty of Care,  the registration of waste carriers and controls on  waste brokers.

November 2006: Think-tank IPPR has called for stronger measures to force householders and producers to cut down on waste.

November 2006: Minister Ben Bradshaw has called on council officers to help Defra to "take on the critics of energy-from-waste".

October 2006: Publication of the revised English Waste Strategy has been delayed until early next year as Defra works to ensure it ties in with climate change.

October 2006: The use of waste to create energy has "very substantial" potential in the fight against climate change, according to the Stern Review.

October 2006: A bid to increase the Landfill Tax to £75 per tonne by 2013 has been made by David Miliband according to national press reports.

October 2006: The Composting Association said the UK desperately needs more in-vessel treatment facilities to meet European landfill targets.

October 2006: The European waste hierarchy will  be flexible and have five stages under the revision  of the Waste Framework Directive, a top environment  official from the Finnish government confirmed.

October 2006: The Conservative Party is seeking a "complete re-think" of its policies regarding waste management in the UK.

October 2006: The Recycling Registration Scheme has been hailed as "potentially the most positive step taken by industry" regarding waste exports.

October 2006: Consulting on proposals to revise Europe's Waste Framework Directive, Defra warned that a new EU standards for recycling and recovery could actually reduce recycling rates.

October 2006: England exceeded its national target for recycling 25% of household waste during 2005/06, achieving a recycling rate of 27%.

October 2006: Minister Ben Bradshaw has decided against allowing residues from new technology waste plants to be used as compost on agricultural land.

September 2006: A manufacturer of in-sink food waste disposers has claimed ignorance is holding the concept back as a waste management option in the UK.

September 2006: Environment Agency has been criticised for its "confusing" guidance over the recycling of waste electrical items at household recycling centres.

September 2006: draft composting quality protocol  A consultation has begun for the  new quality protocol for the composting of organic  waste.

September 2006: Direct charging for residual waste, compulsory recycling and alternate weekly collections are better at improving recycling participation than incentive schemes, according to Defra.

September 2006: Local authorities around the country are defending decisions to fit microchips on new wheeled bins for household waste and recycling services

August 2006: A report from thinktank IPPR to be published this autumn will demand "pay as you throw" variable charging for household waste in England.

August 2006: The government appears "positive" about a new model for estimating how much landfill diversion could be attributed to home composting.

August 2006: A report on Defra's £3.1 million household recycling incentive trials carried out last year has revealed only limited results for the schemes.

August 2006: The CIWM has demanded the government provide a "detailed" policy statement on the recovery of energy from waste.

August 2006: The public consultation into England's long-term waste strategy has revealed "strong support" for direct or variable charging for household waste.

July 2006: The LGA believes variable charging is needed to fill a £400 million funding gap in waste management services.

July 2006: Environment secretary David Miliband has revealed a personal interest in possible new charging systems for household waste.

June 2006: Prices for landfill allowances remain low in the second year of the Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme in England.

June 2006: All businesses in England and Wales that produce hazardous wastes must re-register their sites in the next few weeks.

June 2006: In a landmark decision, the DTI has given the green light for what could become the UK's largest municipal waste incinerator.

May 2006: Responding to the waste strategy review, LARAC has called on the government to use market forces to increase recycling rather than public funding.

May 2006: A new government bill in Wales is to be draw up to introduce a new charging system for the collection of residual waste from households.

May 2006: Two reports have expressed concerns about the municipal waste management market - one from the Office of Government Commerce, and one from the Office of Fair Trading.

May 2006: Major changes in the way the UK deals with waste will not take place until 2010, when landfill is a less attractive financial option, an expert has suggested.

May 2006: Recycling targets 2007/08  Defra announced that councils who have not  performed well against their statutory recycling  targets are to get a 20% recycling target for 2007/08.

May 2006: Friends of the Earth has launched a fresh attack on incineration, questioning claims that recovering energy from waste produces "green" power.

April 2006: Defra has conceded it will not meet its original, "ambitious" target laid out for demonstrating new waste treatment technologies.

April 2006: The Waste and Resources Action Programme's plans for developing new recycling markets have been approved by Europe until 2010.

March 2006: A senior Defra official has insisted the English waste strategy review is considering variable charging systems for municipal waste, but references have been made deliberately vague.

March 2006: The government is to consult on "detailed proposals" to give councils in Northern Ireland the new powers on household waste charging.

March 2006: English councils cut the amount of municipal waste going to landfill by one million tonnes in 2004/05, according to new figures from Defra.

March 2006: Industry urges the government to focus on existing EU targets for recovering municipal waste – before worrying about business resource efficiency.

March 2006: Minister Ben Bradshaw has said getting in place necessary investment for waste management infrastructure is a "high and urgent priority" for Defra.

February 2006: Industry has been warned of increased costs for the disposal of waste tyres after this summer's landfill ban comes into full force.

February 2006: Consultation on England's Waste Strategy - Strategy consultation stokes up incineration debate - English councils facing higher recycling targets - Bradshaw points to less energy from waste than forecast - Defra to take sector approach to business waste

February 2006: Scotland is consulting on a waste minimisation strategy that could include "pay as you throw" waste charging schemes for household waste.

February 2006: The European Commission rules that tyres can be used in landfill engineering applications after this summer's ban on disposing of tyres in landfills.

January 2006: Ministers have said councils in England will have a six-month cushion to make sure they have enough landfill allowances at the end of the year.

January 2006: The Kelly Review, expected to report findings soon, looks set to sound alarm bells over competition and capacity within the municipal waste market.

January 2006: The Republic of Ireland is struggling to meet its Landfill Directive targets, despite good progress on packaging recovery.

December 2005: Food industry warned they must comply with the Landfill Directive for former foodstuffs, though animal by-product rules are delayed again.

October 2005: Councils in Northern Ireland have reached a recycling rate of 18.9% in 2004/05, new figures suggest.

October 2005: Civil engineering experts warn that a £10 billion investment is needed if the UK is to meet Landfill Directive targets.

October 2005: Defra has warned of some hard choices ahead in its forthcoming review of England's waste strategy.

September 2005: England has very nearly reached a 23% recycling rate for household waste, according to provisional figures for 2004/05.

August 2005: The government's Kelly Review investigates competition and capacity in the municipal waste management market.

August 2005: Local authorities in Scotland have reached a 17.3% recycling rate nationally for 2004/05.

July 2005: Hampshire has become the first local authority to sell landfill allowances under Defra's LATS system.

June 2005: Defra is sticking with the European Landfill Directive's July 16, 2006, date for the banning of whole and shredded tyres from landfill.

June 2005: The European Commission is to allow 'treated' former foodstuffs to still go to landfill after 1 January, 2006, when a ban was expected to begin.

May 2005: The Environment Agency launch website for hazardous waste producers to register in order to meet new regulations on hazardous waste disposal.

May 2005: Regulators are "not prepared" for the permitting required for new waste technology plants, a key Defra official has said.

April 2005: The Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme has started for all 121 waste disposal authorities in England.

March 2005: Defra has tightened waste management licensing rules to prevent "sham waste recovery", but relaxed exemption rules for small composting operations.

March 2005: The government could find the achievement of the UK's Landfill Directive obligations can be "more easily delivered" using mechanical biological treatment plants than had previously been thought, a major report has said.

March 2005: The reduction in English household waste arisings in 2004 could have been just "one year of good fortune", experts in the local authority sector are warning.

March 2005: Defra has suggested that more attention will be paid to non-municipal waste in decisions taken following the current review of Waste Strategy 2000.

March 2005: Northern Ireland faces a "race against time" to avoid millions of pounds of European fines because of its failing waste management strategy, MPs have warned.

January 2005: Councils in Wales have doubled recycling levels for municipal waste over the last three years, with the latest results – for 2003/04 – showing a 16.25% national recycling rate.

November 2004: The Environment Agency and local authorities are to be given new powers to tackle illegal waste disposal under the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Bill.

November 2004: Businesses are being offered a £284 million assistance package to reduce the impact of rising landfill costs by reducing the amount of waste they send for disposal.

October 2004: Local authorities have called for changes to be made to the way that recycling is funded in councils in English counties.

October 2004: Trade waste will count as municipal waste under the Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme, but how to quantify this is still uncertain.

October 2004: Cement and lime kilns could become a major market for refuse-derived fuel (RDF) made from household waste, after a new ruling by the Environment Agency.

October 2004: The sorting of municipal waste for recovery and recycling will be enough to meet landfill treatment requirements, according to draft guidance from the Environment Agency.

September 2004: Local authorities in Wales are gearing up for the start of the Landfill Allowance Scheme, which will limit the amount of biodegradable material they sent to landfill from October 1.

August 2004: English local authorities have been sent their provisional allocation of landfill allowances for the period 2005 to 2020 by Defra.

August 2004: Producers of hazardous wastes could be forced to separate the materials from non-hazardous wastes before transportation to a disposal facility under proposed new regulations.

July 2004: Metal recyclers reached an agreement with the Environment Agency over the "hazardous" classification of shredder residue requiring disposal.

July 2004: The co-disposal of hazardous waste with non-hazardous waste has been banned under the Landfill Directive, but questions have arisen over shredder residue.

June 2004: Disposal costs for hazardous waste could triple under next month's ban on co-disposal, the Environment Agency has warned.

June 2004: Environment minister Elliot Morley has said treating contaminated soil on-site will be key to avoiding a "hazardous waste" crisis from next month.

June 2004: Conflict erupted between waste management company Cleanaway and the cement industry over the use of hazardous waste as a fuel in cement kilns.

May 2004: Waste disposal authorities are to be fined £200 for every tonne they send to landfill above their allocation of allowances under the LATS system.

May 2004: The government has published an important study on the health effects of different methods of diverting waste from landfill.

April 2004: Local authorities have attacked the government over the LATS, saying they should not be fined for missing targets.

April 2004: For the first time, the amount of municipal waste going to landfill in England has fallen, by 300,000 tonnes from last year.

March 2004: Warnings have been sounded over the UK's apparent lack of preparation for the forthcoming ban on hazardous waste co-disposal in July.

February 2004: The European Parliament has called for a landfill ban from 2025 as part of the proposed EU Thematic Strategy on recycling.

February 2004: The latest municipal waste figures for Scotland show that it is making slow progress in reducing the amount of waste going to landfill.

December 2003: The Scottish Executive is consulting on proposals for landfill allowances, which could see a pilot run from July 2004.

December 2003: Concern is mounting over a potential "hazardous waste crisis" as a ban on the co-disposal of hazardous waste to landfill draws near.

November 2003: Parliament has approved the Waste and Emissions Trading (WET) Bill, providing a legal standing for the government's Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme (LATS).

November 2003: The UK will take advantage of at least two of three derogations offered by Europe for meeting Landfill Directive targets.

October 2003: The government strongly urged councils to work together on joint waste strategies in the third reading of the WET Bill this month.

August 2003: Defra has launched a consultation on the proposed Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme for waste disposal authorities in England.

May 2003: A leading voice in the waste industry has called on the government to address the problem of cheap waste disposal options.

May 2003: The Environment Agency warned that a ban on co-disposal will see the number of UK hazardous waste landfills plunge from July 2004.

April 2003: The government has said it will look into making the increases in Landfill Tax revenue-neutral for local authorities.

March 2003: UK manufacturers have urged the government to invest money from the increased Landfill Tax into helping businesses improve their waste management.

February 2003 : The environment minister has said that successful partnerships between local authorities will be the key to making the LATS work.

February 2003 : Lord Whitty suggested that penalties from landfill allowance non-compliance could be recycled back into helping to fund the waste system.

December 2002: A senior Treasury minister has hinted that the Landfill Tax could rise faster than the £3 per tonne per year proposed by the Chancellor.

November 2002: The Chancellor's Pre-Budget Report has said that the Landfill Tax will rise by £3 per tonne each year from 2005-06.

November 2002: Details have emerged concerning the government's Waste and Emissions Trading (WET) Bill that will see waste disposal authorities able to trade permits to landfill biodegradable waste.

October 2002: The European Council has put back a vote on the terms of the landfill Waste Acceptance Criteria (WAC) until December 2002.

August 2002: Virtually all UK landfill site operators have submitted site conditioning plans before the final deadline.

July 2002: The government's handling of the implications of the Landfill Directive was heavily criticised by a House of Commons committee.

April 2002: Environment minister Michael Meacher has blamed Brussels for the chaos surrounding the UK's recycling and waste management policy.

April 2002: The government published the regulations to implement the EC Landfill Directive in England and Wales. And, landfill operators were warned that they must submit site conditioning plans by July 2002.

November 2001: The Environment Agency has published guidance for consultation on the waste treatment requirements of the Landfill Directive.

October 2001: The Landfill Directive is changing thinking about waste management and recycling, a top MEP has said.

February 2001: The Environment Agency has warned the government about the lack of clarity surrounding the Landfill Directive legislation.

October 2000: letsrecycle.com reports on how the government and the Welsh Assembly are preparing for the EU Landfill Directive and lays out the UK landfill situation prior to the Landfill Regulations coming in.