Bristol reveals landfill concerns despite recycling success

And, councillors in the city's cabinet approved measures to let an 800,000-per-annum in-vessel composting contract to start in the next two years.

” The huge anomalies in the timetables and targets are a cause for real concern. “
– Bristol CC, Bath & NE Somerset C, North Somerset C, South Gloucestershire C
But nevertheless, the city led a delegation with three of its neighbours to Defra last week, demanding a re-think on penalties under the Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme (LATS).

Councillors from North Somerset, Bath & North East Somerset and South Gloucestershire as well as Bristol want to re-negotiate the 150 per tonne fines threatened by the government for councils that miss their LATS targets.

They told Defra that they are already achieving high recycling rates, but that major new treatment plants would not be ready before 2013.

Housing
With plans for extra housing to be built in the area, the four authorities are asking for “possible waivers of reductions of penalties” for councils in regeneration zones.

Cllr Gary Hopkins of Bristol, Cllr Deboroah Yamanaka of North Somerset, Cllr Gerry Curran of Bath & North East Somerset and Cllr Pat Hockey of South Gloucestershire said LATS targets had been set without taking account of councils that started recycling activities early.

In a joint statement, the councillors said: “Each of the partner authorities supports the need to reduce biodegradable waste sent to landfill and supports the principle of the government's incentive scheme. But the huge anomalies in the timetables and targets are a cause for real concern. We are working hard with Defra and the Government Office for the South West to find ways to reduce the impact on council finances.”

Bristol
Thursday's meeting of Bristol city council's cabinet saw councillors agreeing a plan to sell up to 56,727 tonnes of landfill allowances in the years up to 2009/10.

An analysis by council officers suggested prices for those allowances would increase from 21.02 per tonne this financial year to 26 per tonne by 2008/09.

Because of the increasingly tough landfill targets set by Defra, Bristol believes the 18,797 tonnes of landfill allowances it will have to spare in 2008/09 will drop dramatically to just 3,773 tonnes of surplus allowances in 2009/10.

Council officers believe selling their spare landfill allowances will raise about 1.3 million. But, officers believe that even with rising recycling rates and the anticipated Compact Power pyrolysis plant (see letsrecycle.com story), Bristol “will be in deficit by 2010/11”.

Under the Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme, Defra has said it will fine waste disposal authorities 150 for every tonne of biodegradable waste landfilled above the number of allowances held.

In-vessel
Bristol's cabinet meeting on Thursday saw councillors agreeing to plans to build a new in-vessel composting plant near to the city to process material from the food and garden waste collections. The waste currently collected on the UK's first city-wide food recycling scheme is being send to Dorset for composting.

The cabinet approved plans to let an 800,000-per-annum contract to build and operate a 30,000 square foot facility to process 25,000 to 30,000 tonnes of organic waste each year. The contract would be 20 to 25 years in length.

Officers said building a plant close to the city would save costs of 25 per tonne currently seen for taking collected organic waste to the New Earth Solutions plant in Dorset for treatment.