Website of the UK government

Review of Waste Policies in England 2011

The amount of waste going to landfill has nearly halved since 2000, with household recycling rates now at 40 per cent.

However, to encourage more people to recycle and reduce the amount of waste they throw away, the ‘Review of Waste Policies in England 2011’ has proposed:

• a consultation on limiting the amount of wood waste that can be sent to landfill
• a review of the case for introducing landfill bans on materials such as metals, textiles and all biodegradable waste
• incentives for householders to recycle and reduce waste
• recycling-on-the-go schemes
• scrapping unfair bin fines and taxes
• a consultation on increased recycling targets to 2017 for plastic, steel, aluminium and glass

Measures to crackdown on illegal fly-tippers and genuine nuisance neighbours who pollute the environment and countryside have also been proposed.

Possible penalties could include having their vehicle seized, or having to clear up the items they have dumped.

Commenting on the proposals, Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman said: "People want to do the right thing by reducing waste and recycling at home or out and about and we want to help them.

"This means making sure communities are getting the collection services they want and not penalising hard-working households who make minor mistakes by putting bins out on the wrong day or leaving a plastic tub in the wrong recycling box.

"Communities and businesses can help us become a first-class zero-waste economy and unlock the real value in the goods that people no longer want."

To read the government’s proposals in full, follow the link below.

• Review of Waste Policies in England 2011 Opens new window

More on Directgov

• Recycling and reducing waste (environment and greener living section)

• Street cleaning, litter and illegal dumping (home and community section)