Landfill tax benefits environment

Money has been used to clear wooded glades in Devon

A tax put in place to help reduce the amount of rubbish buried in the ground has raised huge sums for environmental projects in the South West.

Millions of pounds generated by the landfill tax has been ploughed back for improvements to the environment.

The Cornwall Wildlife Trust has been among the groups to benefit, receiving £100,000 to help fund a boat to improve access for visitors to Looe Island.

The Devon Wildlife Trust has had more than £1m to help with its work.

About £20,000 was used in Dunsford to provide clearances of woodland glades.

Ants rehoused

"It's a very important site, with about 26 or 28 different types of butterflies identified here, including one or two rare ones," trust spokesman Rod Birtles said.

"Wood crickets have also colonised, which is very rare outside the New Forest."

One of the Devon trust's projects has been to rehouse ants from Paignton Zoo back into the into the wild.

In Somerset, the wildlife trust has planted a new woodland near Taunton with about £100,000 from the landfill tax last year.

The amount of landfill produced should decrease over the years as more rubbish is recycled, composted or incinerated, but money to come from the tax will continue to benefit good environmental causes.