Landfill Tax Reaches £40 per Tonne

Posted by Joe Hind under General | Tags: landfill tax, waste |
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It now costs an additional £40 per tonne to send most types of waste to landfill.

Landfill Site in UK

The total costs are actually much higher than £40 as most businesses will pay a company or local authority to collect their waste and will be charged for the other elements, over and above the tax. Whoever does the collection has to pay for:

• Transport to Collect the Rubbish.
• Guys to Pick up the Rubbish.
• A Plant or Depot to Process/Separate/Crush the Waste.
• Transport to the Landfill Site.
• Landfill Gate Fees.

So the real cost of waste to landfill is much higher than just the £40 tax.

But, I hear you say, most of those costs are the same for recycling so it doesn’t really matter!

Well yes, it is true that recycling carries a cost. But the development of recycling infrastructure, coupled with the inevitable increase in the cost of raw materials as we literally use them up, means that the business model for recycling services has started to look very robust.

Also, consider why the Government imposed the landfill tax in the first place. It’s not just about helping the environment but also the fact that we are running out of space for landfill sites. Current sites are reaching capacity and new landfill sites are pretty much the least popular choice, apart from Nuclear Waste Dumps, for ways to use land in the UK, particularly for those living nearby!

We all have to make a decision about our waste, and the knowledge that landfill tax is likely to rise year-on-year (by £8 a tonne until 2011 at least) might make a difference to what you decide is best for your business.