The Merseyside Waste Disposal Authority, which represents five local authorities in the area, announced yesterday that it will invest in the strategy to avoid tens of millions of pounds in fines if it misses landfill diversion targets.
The Authority is worried about the 200 fines government will impose for every tonne landfilled above the councils' landfill limits set under the government's Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme (see letsrecycle.com legislation page). The councils are also concerned about the increasing Landfill Tax, and believe that without a new strategy they would be paying an extra 12 million each year on waste disposal.
Cllr John Fletcher, who chairs the MWDA, said: “The fines that the government will impose on Merseyside and the rest of the UK are so severe that a 'd;o nothing' approach is not an option.
“It is estimated that to implement a strategy, recycle more waste and keep waste out of landfill would cost around 42 million a year by 2014, but if we don't fines could reach up to 70 million by the end of the decade,” he warned.
At the moment, Wirral, Knowsley and Liverpool metropolitan borough councils are recycling 5-6% of their household waste, with St Helens and Sefton recycling about 10% and 12% respectively.
The Authority believes it has missed the government-set recycling target of 12% for 2003-04 by about two percentage points. And, it will have a task on its hands to reach its 22% target recycling rate by 2005/06.
Consultation
After yesterday's agreement to adopt the strategy, preparations will now be made for a public consultation into the detail of the strategy some time next year. Initial drafts of the strategy document have suggested that by 2020 the Authority should be seeking to recycle 50% or even 65% of its waste.
Other targets mooted in the document include diverting 25% of biodegradable municipal waste from landfill by 2010, 50% by 2013 and 65% by 2020 compared to 1995 levels. And, to reduce waste growth rates from 3% to 2% by 2010 and 0% by 2020.
Carl Beer, director of the MWDA, said: “We must improve on the recycling services provided by expanding kerbside programmes and educating the community to foster a recycling culture.
“We must also invest in new waste facilities which recycle and recover value from waste,” he added.
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