Details revealed in new Waste and Emissions Trading Bill

Tying in with the Landfill Directive, the new bill will see each of the four UK nations setting their own annual targets for the amount of biodegradable material going to landfill. The allowances that will be given to waste disposal authorities will be calculated so that the system will be able to reach the Directive's targets in 2010, 2013 and 2020.

The Landfill Directive sets progressive reductions in the amount of biodegradable waste – food and garden waste as well as paper and cardboard – going to landfill. Using 1995 waste levels, landfilling of waste must be cut to 75% in 2010, 50% in 2013 and 35% in 2020. Biodegradable waste represents around 63% of total municipal waste.

Trade
Once waste disposal authorities are given their landfill allowances, they will be able to either stick to their limit or trade allowances with other waste disposal authorities. Those unable to get away from high landfill rates will therefore need to buy landfill allowances from authorities with low landfill rates.

The feeling in government is that this system will enable authorities in cheap landfill areas to make reductions in their own landfilling while selling permits to areas where landfill may be more expensive.

There is also provision in the bill for landfill allowances from one year to be used in a different year, although allowances from 'target years' – 2010, 2013 or 2020 – and allowances from the year before a target year are likely to be only tradable within the year of issuing.

Monitoring
Landfill allowances will not be tradable by anyone other than waste disposal authorities, and authorities will have to appoint monitoring authorities to make sure that the amount of landfilling being carried out is in line with the allowances available. However, according to the government the Environment Agency will monitor the system throughout the UK.

Authorities failing to keep to their available allowances will be subject to penalties – plus supplementary penalties in 'target' years. The WET Bill also contains provisions for six-month jail terms and 20,000 fines for any abuses of the system.

For the full text of the Waste and Emissions Trading Bill, click here.

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