Landfill tax up by £8 a tonne

The cost of sending waste to landfill is to soar from tomorrow - and the cash comes out of the council's pocket.

On the eve of the £8 per tonne hike, the Royal Borough has made a rallying call to residents to recyle more so they can pay less tax.

It has cost the council more than £1million in landfill tax to send some 45,000 tonnes of waste to landfill in the past year - and this was 1,000 tonnes less than the previous year.

The chairman of the borough's sustainabiltiy panel, Cllr Paul Etherington, said: "It now costs the council £58 to dispose of every tonne of waste – £32 of which is landfill tax. That’s 32 big reasons for all of us to increase our household recycling and composting."

He added: “Continuing to send waste to landfill is just not an option at these prices. It is not only hard on the pocket but is also completely unsustainable and severely damaging to our environment.”

The council is keen for residents to act now because the Government has said landfill tax will continue to rise by £8 a tonne until 2011.

As part of the council's drive to encourage recycling, it is giving away free composters to residents so kitchen and garden waste can be turned into something useful, rather than thrown in the bin.
Call 0845 077 0757 or order online at www.recyclenow.com/compost