An Environment Agency report, which assessed the state of the environment in the South East, has found that landfill space in the region will run out in seven years. And the Agency said that action must be taken now to reduce the amount of waste produced. Waste disposal is particularly a problem for the South East, because economic growth is leading to an increase in the population and the amount of waste produced.
The Agency's State of the South East Environment Report looked at looked at waste, water, beaches, air quality and industry. The report found that the environmental state of the region is “good” but one problem was the “continuing generation of a gigantic mountain of waste”.
Another issue is the lack of waste treatment facilities within the South East. Of the 13 million tonnes of waste produced in the South East every year, 85% is currently sent to landfill. The warning comes against a background of a three per cent annual increase in the generation of waste and a population predicted to grow by at least 20%.
In launching the report David Jordan, the Agency's regional director, said: “In the years since its creation the Agency working with its partners has made many major strides forward in promoting, protecting and enhancing the environment in the South East. The Agency and its staff have ensured that beaches and rivers are cleaner now than for more than a hundred years, improvements have been made to air quality and industry is working for greener and in many cases more efficient solutions. But the disposal of waste is a growing problem.”
The report can be found in full on the Agency's web page at
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