Devon County Council has been working with District Councils across the county to increase domestic recycling levels, and raise public awareness about the need to recycle. It has achieved the third highest recycling rate in the country, reaching 40.6% in 2005/2006. The success of the waste management strategy has been achieved through the help of the people of Devon and significant investment by the Council and partners into waste management systems.
However, the European Union has created a new law which means that Devon County Council, like other local authorities, needs to consider additional ways to manage waste disposal. The EU Landfill Directive has set decreasing annual landfill targets for local authorities and will impose fines for each tonne of waste that is landfilled above those limits.
Devon cannot meet its landfill targets through recycling alone. To avoid severe financial penalties, which could impact on council tax, as well as address environmental concerns, new ways to deal with waste are needed. Even if Devon met its recycling targets, as much as 100,000 tonnes a year would need to be treated, so it is vital the County Council investigates the options available, and makes plans to deal with the problem.
In trying to find a way to dispose of the excess waste, the County Council wants to achieve:
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