August 2, 2004—Environment minister Elliot Morley has warned UK industry that hazardous waste disposal practices must change; cheap landfill is neither a sustainable option nor does it reflect the environmental costs of disposal.
With the cost of transporting and disposing of hazardous waste set to rise, it will now be down to individual firms to reduce and recycle their waste, rather then relying on landfill, if they want to keep their bills down.
Mr. Morley said, “I want this country to end its dump and forget culture. The public and industry alike need to understand that we cannot continue to dump hazardous waste in holes in the ground.”
As of 16 July, the co-disposal of hazardous and non-hazardous waste is banned as part of a long-term drive to reduce the amount of waste we produce and landfill. Industry will now have to pre-treat hazardous waste in preparation for implementing Waste Acceptance Criteria in July 2005, while setting limits on the contamination of waste in landfill sites.
Mr. Morley was confident that industry would respond to the challenge but made it clear that unscrupulous operators who tried to cut corners and undercut responsible ones would not be tolerated.
