What happens to my non-recycling

When you put your black lid bin out on collection day it is emptied by one of six collection vehicles. Once full, these vehicles travel to the landfill site (also known as a dump or tip) situated in Ugley.

Landfills are giant rubbish tips, designed to contain rubbish for many years.
They present significant health and environmental risks if not well-designed and maintained. 

Heaps of waste generate methane, a greenhouse gas. If the technology and funding is available, this can be monitored, released under control and in some cases harnessed as an energy source.

But the risk of explosions and fires is a potential hazard, both in developing countries, where scavengers often trawl through open dumps, and also in countries such as the US, where landfill blazes are thought to be among the largest sources of emissions of toxic chemicals called dioxins.

The other main risk is of toxic substances being washed from the site and contaminating water supplies and land. The threat can be reduced by situating landfills away from areas vulnerable to flooding or earthquakes, lining the site and draining and treating contaminated water from it – again, only if the money and expertise are available. 

Finding sites for landfills is also an issue, as space is a valuable commodity in the urban areas where most waste is generated and local opposition is often vehement.

While some decomposition goes on in a landfill, such sites keep the water, biological organisms and light needed to speed the process to a minimum, Decades-old colouring book pages and carrot tops were found intact when a site in Phoenix, US was excavated in one study. 

Once landfill sites are filled to capacity and given time to “stabilise”, they are covered and often turned into parks or golf-courses, or, if the waste is sufficiently compacted, built on – although health fears have triggered local opposition to some such projects.

For every tonne of rubbish taken to landfill a disposal charge is incurred. Landfill tax is also paid on every tonne. Both charges increase on an annual basis. There are also penalties that will be encountered (£150 per tonne) if we do not reduce the amount of biodegradable waste (paper, card, food, textiles, garden waste, etc) we send to landfill.