Increase in waste going to be buried

People in the Black Country and Staffordshire see more waste go to landfill per person than nearly 10 years ago - despite efforts to encourage recycling.

New Government figures show that each person in the area sends an extra 51kg.

The average person in Wolverhampton sent 620kg of waste to landfill in 2006/07, compared to 547 in 1998/99. The amount from Walsall also went up from 514kg to 568kg per person, during the same period.

Sandwell showed a rise from 443kg to 488kg, in Dudley too from 422kg to 471kg, and for Staffordshire, where the load rose from 548kg to 621kg.

Data was released by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to MPs, after a probe by Liberal Democrats.

It is feared a tough regime of government fines for landfill use will lead to council tax rises, unless councils make dramatic improvements. The tax on waste dumped in landfill sites is increasing by 33 per cent a year for four years, with councils facing having to pay up to £150 a tonne over a set quota by 2010.

Julia Goldsworthy, Lib Dem local government spokeswoman, said: "It is not just about being seen to be making the effort to recycle more of the waste.

"There are big questions about how we tackle waste in the first place.

"As a result of the landfill tax, the more rubbish people throw out, the more people's council tax is going to go up."

The Government should set down tough guidelines for manufacturers in a bid to drive down the amount of wasteful packaging, she said. "At the moment the incentives just aren't there for the commercial sector," she added.

A Defra spokesman said: "Many householders and local authorities have got the 'reduce, reuse and recycle' message and are doing a great job. The latest statistics show that in England, local authorities have increased national recycling and composting rates to 31 per cent and disposed of 1 million tonnes less waste in landfill in 2006/07, compared to 2005/06.

"If we are to combat the negative impacts of climate change, under-performing local authorities everywhere must do more to help their residents reduce their rubbish and recycle more from their homes."