Landfill in England to run out in seven years
8th September 2017 | Recycling
England now has 6.8 years left of non-hazardous landfill life, based on 2016 inputs, according to the Environment Agency.
Newly published data for 2016 from permitted waste management operators in England shows a current overall picture of waste management in the country. It shows a steady increase in waste treatment capacity in England between 2009 and 2016, alongside a decrease in landfill capacity.
England landfilled a total of 44.7 million tonnes in 2016 and managed a total of 203 million tonnes of waste. Last year there were 30 landfill sites accepting waste and 507 that were permitted, against 343 and 493 respectively the previous year.
On a regional basis, the east of England utilised the most landfill, at 10 million tonnes, while London used the least at 2.3 million tonnes. The south-east, followed by Yorkshire and the Humber, had the most remaining landfill capacity in non-hazardous merchant sites at the end of 2016.
Also decreasing was the number of metal recycling sites holding permits and the number accepting scrap. These have decreased year-on-year since 2014. In 2016 there were 1,244 metal recycling sits accepting waste, 46 fewer than 2014, or a 3.5% decrease.
Analysis of treatment facilities showed that the north-west had the most biological treatment activity and London the least. The capital also had the least incineration capacity, while the south-east had the most.
In terms of incineration input, the majority of incineration capacity across the various regions was used for municipal and/ or commercial and industrial waste, with the exception of the east Midlands and east of England, where co-incineration of hazardous waste and animal by-products led respectively.
The data follows the recent release of reports within the industry concerning whether the country face a future waste treatment capacity shortfall for residual waste or overcapacity. Biffa has warned of a capacity gap, as has Suez, while consultancy Eunomia predicts an overcapacity of energy-from-waste plants.
More information available on the website below
https://www.mrw.co.uk/latest/landfill-in-england-to-run-out-in-seven-years/10023208.article