The traditional method of disposing of our rubbish has been to bury it in landfill sites throughout the county however the environmental implications of landfilling is significant. The main problem is any waste that is biodegradable which is basically anything that rots - E.g. paper, cardboard, garden waste, kitchen waste, wood, textiles and disposable nappies. As it rots in landfill it produces methane - a gas 21 times more powerful than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas.

In an effort to reduce the environmental impact of landfilling the EU has introduced the Landfill Directive. This legislation means that the cost of disposing of waste through landfill will escalate year on year. Using 1995 waste levels as a base year, we must reduce the amount of biodegradable waste going to landfill by 25% by 2010, 50% by 2013, and 75% by 2020. Under the LATS scheme, in addiiton to the standard costs associated with landfilling, we will be fined £150 for every tonne of biodegradable waste that we landfill over these limits.

These potentially massive fines mean that other options need to be considered to manage the waste we create. These options are being considered by Cumbria County Council along with the other 6 local authorities through the partnership, Resource Cumbria. You can download and read about these in the Joint Municipal Waste Management Strategy 2007 - 2020.

Just as important as these alternative methods of waste disposal is a movement towards embracing the practices of the waste hierarchy - Reduce, reuse, recycle then final disposal. This hierarchy highlights actions we can all adopt starting with the most environmentally friendly and finishing with the least.

Reduce the amount of waste you create in the first place. We can do this by only buying what we need when we go shopping or buying products that use less package. We can also compost our garden and kitchen waste.

Reuse things over and over again before throwing them away. Try to think of new uses for old things and when you eventually are done with them how about giving them to a charity shop or other worthy cause. If you have a young family you could even consider using real nappies.

Recycle as much as you can using either your recycling collection service, your local Recycle Point or your nearest Household Waste Recycling Centre. Currently we recycle 40% of our waste in Cumbria which is a fantastic effort. Could you recycle more?

Final disposal either via landfill or alternative methods.

You can find out more about the waste hierarchy and more about the type of things you can do by visiting recycleforcumbria.org. (external link)