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Council landfill costs increasing Council landfill costs increasing
(about 3 hours later)
The tax councils pay to dump rubbish in landfill sites is rising sharply.The tax councils pay to dump rubbish in landfill sites is rising sharply.
The cost is going up by £8 a ton, and over the next three years the tax will double to nearly £50 a ton. The cost is going up by £8 a ton to £32, and over the next three years the tax will double to nearly £50 a ton.
Although the amount dumped in landfill has been decreasing, Britain is facing fines from the European Union if it does not see further decreases. Although the amount dumped in landfill has been decreasing, Britain is facing fines from the European Union if it does not see further reductions.
This may mean councils collect rubbish once a fortnight. Rotting landfill waste produces methane, a bigger contributor to global warming than CO2. But a Local Government Association (LGA) spokesman said higher landfill taxes meant councils could not afford new recycling schemes.
BBC Local Government correspondent John Andrew says the cost increase will increase the pressure on councils and households to recycle more. Rotting landfill waste produces methane, a bigger contributor to global warming than CO2.
The Local Government Association says unless more revenue from landfill tax is ploughed back to councils, to help them invest in more recycling facilities, it will be council tax payers who pick up the bill. The increase could mean councils collect rubbish once a fortnight.
BBC Local Government correspondent John Andrew said the cost rise would increase the pressure on councils and households to recycle more.
The LGA said unless more revenue from landfill tax was ploughed back to councils, to help them invest in more recycling facilities, it would be council tax payers who picked up the bill.
Paul Bettison, chair of the LGA's environment board, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that local authorities wanted to invest in additional ways of recycling but were too "starved of cash" to afford to pay for them.
"In my own authority for example, we'd love to introduce a weekly food waste collection, and recycle food waste, but unfortunately we just can't afford to do it because we're so busy paying landfill tax," he said.
A spokesman for the Department for the Environment said funding was being increased to help councils improve their management of waste.A spokesman for the Department for the Environment said funding was being increased to help councils improve their management of waste.