Landfill targets met a year early

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All 22 local authorities in Wales have managed to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill, hitting the European Union target a year early.

The Landfill Allowances Scheme (LAS) limits the amount of waste like garden cuttings, paper, cardboard and kitchen scraps councils can send to landfill.

Welsh Assembly Government Environment Minister Jane Davidson said progress was needed to meet EU 2013 targets.

The assembly government has provided councils with £24m for waste schemes.

Eighteen of the 22 councils in Wales are now operating food waste collection services.

As a nation Wales has reduced the amount of biodegradable municipal waste (BMW) sent to landfill by 30% over the last three years.

Overall, local authorities sent 599,703 tonnes of BMW to landfill compared to the 2008/9 Wales allowance of 788,000 tonnes - this is 24% less than the allowance.

AMOUNT OF LANDFILL ALLOWANCE USED Blaenau Gwent - 72.4% Bridgend - 68.8% Caerphilly - 83.9% Cardiff - 79% Carmarthenshire - 73.3% Ceredigion - 89.6% Conwy - 66.3% Denbighshire - 87% Flintshire - 77.6% Gwynedd - 89.7% Anglesey - 65.8% Merthyr Tydfil - 79.4% Monmouthshire - 69.8% Neath Port Talbot - 50.4% Newport - 76.4% Pembrokeshire - 84.8% Powys - 89.2% Rhondda Cynon Taf - 82.6% Swansea - 67.9% Torfaen - 72.8% Vale of Glamorgan - 84.1% Wrexham - 79.6% Wales total - 76.1% Source: Environment Agency Wales

As it stands, Wales is already 16% below the first landfill target for 2010.

Neath Port Talbot, Anglesey and Conwy used the least amount of their allowances (ranging from 50 to 66%).

This contrasts with Powys, Ceredigion and Gwynedd which used the most (ranging from 89 to 90%).

Any local authorities who exceed the targets set by the EU in the first landfill directive target year in 2010 faces severe financial penalties.

Ms Davidson welcomed the figures, but said she wanted further progress.

"These new figures are great news and show how councils are making significant progress in changing the way we deal with our waste," she said.

"Reducing landfill is a key part in the battle to protect our environment. Landfill uses up our precious land and the rotting waste beneath the soil can damages our environment by producing harmful carbon emissions.

"However, more recycling also represents an opportunity to generate renewable energy through the use of anaerobic digestion of this food waste.

"I now want to build on this progress. The increase in the recycling of separately collected food waste will be vital for local authorities to meet the next EU target set for 2013. Councils who exceed their targets face significant fines, which would not be good for the taxpayer."

Chris Mills, Director of Environment Agency Wales, which monitors the landfill allowances scheme, said tax rises would see landfill becoming an even more expensive way of getting rid of waste, as well the least environmentally-friendly.

"Landfills are the most unsustainable way of dealing with the waste we produce every day," he said.

"Biodegradable waste in landfills such as paper, cardboard, food and garden waste, accounts for around 30% of all methane emissions in Wales, which is a major contributor to climate change."