Although Progress is Being Made to Reduce Waste Sent to Landfill, the UK Still Remains Behind Many Other EU Countries in this Respect.

DUBLIN, Ireland -- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c29390) has announced the addition of Waste Management Market Report 2005 to their offering.

This market report analyses the UK waste management market, with particular reference to sources of waste, collection and final disposal. In 2004, the market was worth an estimated GBP 4.85bn, a rise of 5.5% on 2003. In 2003, total waste arisings in the UK were an estimated 434 million tonnes. The most significant tonnages were for demolition/construction, minerals (mining and quarrying) and agriculture. Although municipal waste accounted for less than 10% of total waste arisings in 2003, it is a diverse and complex sector, so the report gives particular attention to this area.

To provide a context for trends in the waste management sector, the waste hierarchy is discussed in some detail. This is a scheme that prioritises waste management options, ranging from the most effective solutions (prevention of waste at source) to the least desirable options (landfill and waste incineration without energy recovery). In terms of options for handling waste, there is now great emphasis on recycling to enable the UK to achieve its targets set out in the EU Landfill Directive, which requires a phased reduction in waste sent to landfill.

The waste management market is now governed by a raft of EU legislation covering landfill, incineration and electrical/electronic equipment, with more topics in the pipeline. This legislation, together with an escalating landfill taxation, means that all sectors of society will have to give more thought to waste management.

The waste management market faces important issues. Although progress is being made to reduce waste sent to landfill, the UK still remains behind many other EU countries in this respect. Hazardous waste is a topical matter at present, with the dramatic reduction in sites licensed to take this type of waste. If the UK is to make a major impact on reducing landfill waste, a range of new facilities will have to be built. Planning permission can be difficult and can take a long time, although discussions are taking place between the industry and the Government to see how this procedure could be improved. Legislation continues to increase, with associated costs and paperwork. This has led to an increase in illegal dumping of waste, including a greatly increased number of abandoned cars. Progress is being made in the municipal sector, with a range of recycling schemes now in operation. The waste trading scheme now allows local authorities to trade their landfill allowances.