North East businesses, charities and social enterprises are joining forces to show their commitment to recycling, reducing and reusing the region’s waste.
At a lunchtime event at the AECC One Stop Waste Solutions Ltd launched their Not-for-Landfill Campaign to help further reduce the amount of waste that goes to landfill sites in the North East of Scotland
On April 1st 2016, landfill tax will increase to £84.40 per tonne, meaning landfill tax has risen fivefold in the last ten years and disposal of general waste has never been more expensive.
In the current economic climate, sound waste management has a key role to play in the reduction of operating costs as well as being environmentally responsible.
Landfill sites create methane, other gaseous emissions and leachate which can lead to pollution of soil, surface and groundwater. By diverting waste away from landfill, we are saving on precious natural resources for instance: it takes between 200-500 years for an aluminium drinks can to break down in landfill, and some plastic bottles will never decompose.
As well as supporting the Scottish Government's own “Zero Waste” (to landfill) objectives The Not-for-Landfill campaign aims to promote and support the great work that local enterprises are doing to reuse, repair and recycle their waste and provide a local network where businesses and organisations can share their own experiences in avoiding landfill.
Companies are being asked to take the Not-for-Landfill pledge to demonstrate their commitment to recycling, reuse and reduction of waste and creating a working environment that is conducive to effective waste management. Already signed up are The Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre, Dolce Vita Flowers, Altus Intervention and EnerMech Ltd.
Craig Donoghue, Managing Director of One Stop Waste said, “I’ve been delighted by the positive response to the campaign so far. Diverting waste from landfill is a commercial decision as well as an environmental one, and local businesses are seeing the benefits of effective waste management. We have 22 companies signed up already and will be encouraging more to take the pledge in the coming months with an overall target of reaching at least 100 businesses by the end of 2016.”
The campaign is supported by local organisations including, Aberdeen Cyrenians, Wood Recyclability, Befriend a Child, Keenan Recycling, Instant Neighbour and the E-Reps Network.
The following table shows the rise of landfill tax since 1995-2012. On April 1st the standard tax rate will rise to £84.40 per tonne in Scotland.
Source: Scottish Environment Protection Agency http://www.sepa.org.uk/regulations/waste/scottish-landfill-tax/