The consultation is the first step in the development of policies which will have a significant impact on local authorities and waste management contractors as the Department looks to stop biodegradable waste being landfilled.
Although ‘good progress’ has been made, an estimated 4.9 million tonnes of biodegradable municipal waste was still sent to landfill in England in 2020, says the Department.
In the document, biodegradable waste is defined as ‘any waste that is capable of undergoing anaerobic or aerobic decomposition, such as paper and cardboard, food, garden waste, natural fibre textiles and wood.’
A particular focus of the consultation – which applies to England – is on mixed waste and how much of mixed waste going to landfill might be biodegradable. And, Defra is asking whether there is technology or ideas for the separation and sorting of such waste.
Defra says that responses will help it understand:
- the composition of waste going to landfill
- why some biodegradable waste continues to go to landfill
- your views on how we can best achieve our aim
Rationale
Explaining the rationale behind the idea of stopping biodegradable waste from going to landfill, the department says that “the environmental impacts of biodegradable waste entering landfill are well known. In the absence of oxygen (below the surface), anaerobic degradation of biodegradable waste deposited in landfill produces landfill gas that is predominantly methane and carbon dioxide. In 2021, landfill gas from closed and operational landfills was estimated to emit 13.6 Mt CO2e, which is ~ 72% of the total emissions from the Waste Sector.”
Government is committed to achieving the near elimination of biodegradable municipal waste to landfill from 2028
Because of these emissions and the need to deliver Net Zero, Defra says the consultation document is committed to achieving the near elimination of biodegradable municipal waste to landfill from 2028 and its movement out of the residual waste stream.
Evidence
Giving more detail about the aims of the consultation, Defra adds: “We are seeking views, data and evidence relating to a number of issues around the landfilling of biodegradable waste. This will help our understanding of the scale of existing elimination policies across the sector, drivers for the continued landfilling of biodegradable waste and the barriers to alternative treatment, as well as interactions with and effectiveness of other waste reform policies in achieving our commitment. It will also help fill gaps in our data on the composition and biodegradable content of mixed wastes.”
And, it remarks that recent government policy has focused on the diversion of biodegradable waste from disposal in landfill from the municipal sector. “This has facilitated a marked decrease in landfilling local authority collected waste since at least 1996, following the introduction of the Landfill Tax, with 79% of this waste sent to landfill in 2000/01 (the earliest record available) decreasing to 43% in 2010/11 and just 8.1% in 2021/22.”
Consultation
The consultation is available HERE and closes on 7 July 2023.
Subscribe for free