ABSTRACT
Tradeable Permits: The strategy says that tradeable permits will be introduced by which local authorities will be able to restrict the amount of biodegradable municipal waste landfilled. It is proposed that the permits should be granted free to local authorities. Possibly allocated on the basis of a combination of population and the number of households. The permits will allow set tonnages of biodegradable municipal waste to be landfilled. The permitted tonnages will be reduced to meet the Directive’s reduction targets. The reduction targets in the Landfill Directive are for the UK as a whole and will require a UK response to ensure the UK can meet them. It is intended that the permits for local authorities in England should be tradable. This is considered to have a number of advantages for both local government and the country as a whole: costs of achieving compliance can be reduced overall; authorities will have greater choice over how to meet their reduction targets in the way that best suits local needs whichever allocation method is used. Some authorities may receive more permits than they initially need and some less. A trading system will allow authorities to chose whether to landfill any additional waste (by buying extra permits from an authority that had reduced its reliance landfill further than needed) or to invest in alternative means of disposal.
