The government announced the deferment of the LATS as part of local authority spending cuts amounting to as much as 35 million it hopes to see in 2004-05 (see letsrecycle.com story).
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs estimates that by pushing back landfill allowance trading by a year, 10 million will be saved by councils nationwide. But, with pressure to reduce potential Council Tax increases, DEFRA has said it is looking to make other cuts “in the waste area” of up to 25 million.
Commenting on the deferment of the LATS, the chair of the Local Authority Recycling Advisory Committee, Andy Doran, said: “The further delay of the LATS is something that LARAC supports. A survey of our members said that they supported its introduction for 2005. However, there is a need for investment in new facilities and at the end of the day we do need to be getting on with it now.”
Council officers attending the Local Government Association's waste management conference in Westminster today suggested to letsrecycle.com that the landfill trading scheme was the government's last chance to reach the landfill diversion targets of the Landfill Directive, and the fact that DEFRA is deferring it one year is not going to make it any easier for the UK to meet those requirements.
Time
But, their feelings were that the deferment of the LATS would give councils much-needed time to get recycling schemes in place and prepare for allowance trading.
Graham Tombs, head of waste, recycling and environment at Essex county council, said: “I think it's broadly a good thing, it will give councils a bit of breathing space, allow them the opportunity to prepare. It should also allow the government to make sure the system works. But I'm not sure deferring the scheme will necessarily save councils much money on the whole.”
Mr Tombs' view was shared by David Bird, the new head of waste management at Sheffield city council. Mr Bird said: “We should be a in a very good position to trade (allowances) – we have our new waste strategy, our paper recycling service and an energy-from-waste plant, and we are applying to DEFRA for funding for a new green waste collection and composting service. But deferring the LATS will give us time to prepare.”
Unhappy
Some councils, however, who are expecting to have surplus landfill allowances to sell, are understandably disappointed that the LATS has been delayed. Durham county council is currently applying for DEFRA funding for a 5 million anaerobic digester which it says will recycle 86% of the material it processes.
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