Recycling pioneers at WRAP made an interesting announcement in late 2012 when they highlighted that, if a landfill ban was introduced in this country, the UK economy could experience a net benefit of £2.1 billion.
Following on from a 2010 study, WRAP’s most recent report Landfill Bans: Feasibility Research analysed the financial and social costs associated with this much-debated waste strategy. The organisation found that a ban on sending unsorted waste to landfill would reap significant climate change benefits and resource efficiency gains for the UK, because the environmental advantages exceed the net costs to society.
Metals, paper, card, textiles and wood would all benefit from a landfill ban, because they are recyclates that can continue to play a significant part in our future resource agenda. For many this is an obvious and expected announcement – indeed an increasing number of companies are contacting Riverside as they strive to develop more effective waste handling strategies. For other organisations however the true value of UK waste, as demonstrated by WRAP, has come as a shock.
Either way the facts are plain to see. By 2024 the UK could achieve net CO2 savings of 73 million tonnes, if we commit to landfill change. Let’s hope more people continue to support WRAP’s vision of a world without waste….
