Environmental Challenges

About 25 million tonnes of municipal waste was landfilled in the UK in 2005. If current landfill rates continue, SLR Consulting estimates that the amount of waste landfilled in the UK could grow to 2.5 billion tonnes by 2020. However, the UK is severely deficient in the waste treatment capacity needed to deal with the huge burden of the municipal waste being produced each year.

In addition to the pressure from its waste treatment capacity deficiency, the UK is motivated to expand waste treatment capacity by EU landfill reduction targets. The EU Landfill Directive requires member states to dramatically reduce the amount of waste that is landfilled or face heavy fines.

The UK government's commitment to reducing landfill and increasing recycling is evidenced by the continuing increases in Landfill Tax. The UK's 2007 Budget set the landfill tax at £40 per tonne in 2009 with annual increases of £8 per tonne until at least 2011.

Under the Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme, local authorities failing to reach landfill diversion targets face heavy penalties of £150 per tonne in addition to the cost of landfill and the Landfill Tax.

Tough limits on landfill and steep landfill taxes combined with the finite supply of landfill sites have made diversion of waste via residual treatment facilities an increasingly attractive option.

Landfill is currently the most popular disposal option for municipal waste in the UK. Based on the shortfall of waste treatment capacity in the UK, Biossence's facilities provide an important contribution towards the ever-increasing demand for end-to-end waste treatment.