Essex county council sends 95% of non-recycled waste to landfill, data reveals
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Seven local authorities in England have waste figures highlighted as government launches circular economy measures. New government data published on Monday showed that 95% of non-recycled waste in Essex is sent to landfill, as ministers launched their plans for a circular economy.
![[Mary Creagh, the circular economy minister.]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/0b72541903af3ee1956384532279ecc801f38fa3/639_140_1872_2340/master/1872.jpg?width=120&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
The data revealed that seven local authorities in England reported sending more than 40% of their residual waste to landfill in 2022 to 2023, with Essex county council at the top of the list. Next came Cambridgeshire county council, (87% of waste sent to landfill), Southend borough council (74%), Darlington borough council (61%), Lancashire county council (59%), Leicester city council (57%) and Newcastle upon Tyne city council (56%).
At present, non-recyclable waste is either incinerated for energy or sent to landfill. But as the population grows, the way packaging is used and made needs to change in order to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill. This includes making it more recyclable and using less of it.
Ministers have announced a suite of plans to encourage a circular economy, including simpler recycling in England, so that less waste is sent to landfill or incinerated. Other plans include a deposit returns scheme for plastic bottles, and charging manufacturers for producing too much waste using a “polluter pays” principle. This would incentivise producers to sell products in recycled and recyclable packaging.
