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Oxfordshire faces huge fines for waste management from 2009/10
Documents
obtained under the Freedom of Information Act by Oxford Friends of the
Earth show that Oxfordshire County Council is facing possible fines of
£4.4 million in 2009/10 for dumping unprocessed rubbish into
landfill. The
fines are imposed if the County Council fails to reduce the
biodegradable materials (paper, cardboard, garden waste, kitchen waste,
textiles and wood) in household waste going to landfill. The
Landfill Directive requires progressive reductions in biodegradable
material. By 2010, no more than 75% of Oxfordshire's biodegradable
municipal waste for 1995 must go to landfill, by 2013 it’s 50%, and by
2020 then 35%.
The information is contained in a presentation by the consultants
Enviros to the Oxfordshire Waste Partnership on 5 January 2006. The Oxfordshire Waste
Partnership is a forum consisting of representatives from the County
Council – Oxfordshire's Waste Disposal Authority, and the five Waste
Collection Authorities – Oxford City, Cherwell District, South
Oxfordshire District, West Oxfordshire District and Vale of the White
Horse. The Enviros presentation is available on request from Oxford
Friends of the Earth (e-mail waste@oxfoe.co.uk).
The presentation shows:
- fines of
£4.4 million, assuming that recycling rates remain at their
current rates of 33%, and that the County Council commissions no new
waste treatment;
- other
than composting garden and food waste using in-vessel composting, there
is no other waste treatment, including incineration or Mechanical
Biological Treatment, which can be built in time for the forthcoming
deadline of 2009/10;
- fines
would be less if Oxfordshire as a whole achieved a higher recycling
rate, for example a recycling rate of 45% - that which has now been
achieved by Cherwell District Council;
- the
County Council could buy an allowance from Councils which have exceeded
their reduction in biodegradable waste going to landfill. However this
is risky; there may not be sufficient allowance available.
Andrew Wood,
from Oxford Friends of the Earth said:
"The City and District Councils in Oxfordshire need to substantially
increase recycling and composting – including composting food waste, if
Oxfordshire is to minimise fines by national Government. Voters in this
year's local elections should be asking candidates what are their plans
for massively increasing recycling and composting.”"
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