Can recycling more lead to reductions in council tax levels
27 April 2009
WLGA Spokesperson said:
Welsh councils in Wales currently spend in excess of £300m on collecting recycling, black bag waste and paying for recyclate reprocessing or landfill. Unfortunately it isn’t a straightforward calculation that recycling is cheaper than the collect and landfill approach that has dominated the UK waste industry for many years. The reality is far more complex. Councils face significant financial pressures in meeting targets around recycling, composting and the management of food waste services. And the truth is, is that recycling collections do not simply replace the back black collections as they are still needed for the waste that cannot be recycled. The reality is that landfill is no longer an option, neither environmentally or financially. For example, councils could face EU fines of up to half a million pounds per tonne per day for waste that is sent to landfill, money that otherwise would be invested in public services. Therefore, councils are increasingly investing in waste and recycling services that will secure economical and environmental benefits for their communities for the future. Every council recognises that simply throwing things away without proper treatment is both environmentally irresponsible and a waste of valuable resources and money. Every council in Wales has invested in recycling services and are actively encouraging their residents to recycle as much as possible so less is sent to landfill. With the public now recycling more than ever, councils are committed to investing in an infrastructure that can support further recycling to enable councils to meet both Welsh Assembly Government and European targets but most importantly to secure the environmental sustainability of Wales’ communities for generations to come.