On Radio 5 Live, Biffa development director Peter Jones advocated a rise in the Landfill Tax from the current 13 a tonne to 35 a tonne.
“This would encourage more recycling, composting and recovery through energy,” he explained.
Asked why the UK depended so much on landfill, Mr Jones said that this was because of the geology of the UK. “We have had the legacy of a lot of redundant sites which have been excavated for clays and aggregates. These have worked in a kind of symbiosis being emptied and filled with waste materials.”
Mr Jones argued that is was not ethically and morally justificable to continue with such high landfill rates in the long term.
On television, BBC Breakfast also featured a preview of what might be in the Chancellor's speech. It suggested that the Landfill Tax might be increased and the Chancellor may also put a tax on plastic bags.
It is also expected that the Strategy Unit will publish its report into recycling and waste management later today.
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