The report then looks at what the restrictions have meant by interviewing “key stakeholders”. This was done to inform the introduction of possible future landfill bans in the UK, mooted most recently in the Packaging Strategy 2009 (see letsrecycle.com story).
However, while the study found that the bans were thought to have helped increase both recycling and composting rates, it also highlighted that in a number of countries – such as Austria and Sweden – incineration, which is further down the waste hierarchy, was the “greatest beneficiary”.
For instance, in Austria, a restriction on the amount of residual waste which would be landfilled has meant that less than 4% of municipal waste went to landfill in 2006 – resulting in a direct increase in thermal treatment.
As a result, the authors recommend that the UK government look at ways to discourage unwanted side effects of any further bans – pointing out that incineration bans, restrictions and taxes have been introduced in some of the countries as supporting measures, which had helped to improve their overall performance.
It said: “Any diversion towards energy from landfill towards energy from waste should be the result of a clear policy, not a default result of a landfill ban or restriction.
“Government should explore the use of policy instruments to discourage incineration of recyclable or compostable materials, to ensure that they are treated as high up the waste hierarchy as possible,” it added.
Policy
Alongside the need for a clear view of the overall objectives of a landfill ban or restriction, the report also makes a number of recommendations for UK policy. These are:
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Clear communication about future bans
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Sufficient lead times
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A simple compliance system
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Supporting instruments such as landfill taxes, quality standards for recycled products and mandatory separation of banned/restricted materials for businesses
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Sufficient resources to police compliance and enforcement
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Public support
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