Waste disposal, waste collection and recycling are now hot topics for councils. But, as landfill sites across the country reach capacity, is the growing waste mountain being tackled and are councils stepping up to the plate to reach their targets?

The UK has one of the lowest recycling rates in Europe and, while in the past, this might have caused embarrassment, failure to improve recycling rates will now land councils with heavy fines, which will be passed on to the taxpayer.

Following publication in July of the Department for Communities and Local Government select committee inquiry into refuse collection, the LGA outlined just how severe the situation was.

‘Figures agreed between the LGA and government officials show that if we do not meet targets, councils and, therefore local people, will face fines of £150 per tonne, potentially amounting to £205m in 2013,' explains Cllr Paul Bettison, chairman of the LGA's environment board.

‘This will be on top of the £4.2bn the Government expects councils need to spend in 2013 to manage waste, and will equate to around £220 for every household in the country to collect and dispose of the rubbish generated – almost double what is paid today.'

The only solution, according to Gemma Roberts, policy analyst from the Centre for Local Sustainability, is to change the assumptions people have about waste, and to engage with the public on a greater level. ‘There needs to be a sharp change,' Ms Roberts tells The MJ.

‘We are still way behind other European countries on recycling. ‘There are many wrong assumptions about waste and recycling. We've seen an increase in recycling, but we must do more. We need to see waste as a resource and need to educate members of the public to do this too.

Councils have struggled, she points out, with a number of different schemes introduced recently, such as alternate weekly collections. These were slammed in the press, leading to widescale panic over health issues. This is just one example of how councils are struggling to involve and engage with the public. ‘They (councils) need to engage with local residents and work with them to make improvements and ensure new schemes work,' she adds. ‘But councils have to be careful when rolling out new schemes,' Ms Roberts urges.

‘They cannot have a blank roll-out of a scheme across the country. It just won't work. They need to get a system right for each area.' The latest recycling scheme to be mooted by senior council officials is ‘save as you throw', whereby residents who recycle more would be rewarded financially. But this proposal has also been condemned, with critics fearing it could be used as a stealth tax. 

In response, Cllr Bettison vowed last month: ‘If councils introduce save as you throw schemes, it will be to promote recycling, not to generate extra cash through an extra stealth tax.

‘There will be parts of the country where save as you throw schemes are not appropriate and the final decision must be made by local councils in response to local needs and in consultation with local people.'

It seems local authorities are determined to make an impact on waste, but must engage with local communities to tackle this complex issue and should not be knocked down for every new initiative.

And they must heed the warning issued by the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management chief executive, Steve Lee: ‘Knee-jerk reactions will not give us the solutions we need.'

The three pay as you throw schemes outlined by the LGA include: