Rubbish sent to landfill

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• Rubbish sent to landfill

It is becoming increasingly expensive to bury rubbish in landfills and new legislation means that using landfills will no longer be an option in the future. Rubbish buried in landfills decomposes slowly and produces greenhouse gases. This waste may take hundreds of years to break down meaning there is a strong chance the land will stay polluted for centuries.

Kingston Council has adopted a Waste Strategy to help achieve our waste targets and comply with a range of European, national, and local waste directives. These targets call for a significant decrease in the amount of waste sent to landfill and an increase in recycling and composting.

Failing to meet these targets is likely to result in fines for the borough. So to avoid an increase in Council tax we need your help to reduce rubbish, recycle more, and compost where possible. Find out about Recycling and Composting services in the borough.

The cost of rubbish disposal

The amount of rubbish going to landfill costs residents money and threatens the future of our environment. Less rubbish means more savings for you and the environment.

Rubbish going to landfill sites is taxed at £18 per tonne and will increase by £3 each year. By 2011 this tax will cost £35.

An increase in recycled material will help reduce the Council’s £1 million annual waste disposal costs. These costs continue to rise as a result of the recently introduced landfill tax.