According to a Defra report: “Residual household waste has decreased by 22% from 2000/01 to 2006/07. This is equivalent to an average of 16kg per person per year across England, or 42kg per household”.
The Waste Strategy Annual Progress Report 2007/08 [dated July 2008] also notes that: “Total waste to landfill fell by a fifth between 2000/01 and 2006, from 80million tonnes to 65million tonnes”.
Defra appear to be mystified regarding the reasons for the drop, especially after they had been expecting a steady rise.
Waste growth in the municipal sector, has continued at a significantly lower rate than up to about 5 years ago. The reasons for this slower rate are not fully understood, at present, although the level of waste growth has a significant impact on both environmental impacts, costs and the amount of disposal infrastructure needed to meet the EU landfill diversion targets. We will continue to seek to improve our knowledge of the underlying causes.
Keith adds: In 2007/8 we will have done a lot better. In the 12 months till the end of June the standard landfill tax was paid on 37,896 tonnes. In 2000/1 it was paid on 50,643 tonnes. The big fall in landfill is in the biodegradable waste, down 25%.