What exactly is LATS

1
What exactly is LATS?

• Heather Barker
• LATS implementation team

2
The Background

• 90 of municipal waste comes from households.
• We produce nearly 30 million tonnes per annum.
• If municipal waste continues to grow, by 2020 we
  will need to double the number of waste
  management facilities
• This increase will add 1.6 billion per year to
  waste disposal costs.

3
Where did LATS come from?

• Article 5 of the Landfill Directive (1999)
• By 2010 to reduce the amount of Biodegradable
  Municipal Waste going to landfill to 75 of that
  produced in 1995
• By 2013 to 50 of the 1995 figure
• By 2020 to 35 of the 1995 figure

4
How the scheme works

• Waste Disposal Authorities allocated allowances
  for 2005 -20
• A single allowance permits an authority to
  landfill one tonne of BMW
• The Waste and Emissions Trading Act 2003 legal
  framework for optional trading
• EA monitors and defra award penalties to WDAs
  landfilling too much BMW

5
Biodegradable waste

• One tonne mixed MSW to contain 68 BMW
• biodegradable fractions of msw can be diverted
• Paper and card 100
• Textiles and furniture 50
• Green/kitchen waste 100
• Shoes 50
• collected MSW x 68 - reuse /recycling
  /composting /recovery BMW landfilled

6
Diverting biodegradable waste
25 (25)
Tonnes of MSW
Tonnes of BMW
Recycled paper
100 (68)
75 (43)
MSW Arisings
Landfilled
7
The trading scheme

• Trading is not mandatory
• Flexibility of meeting targets while developing
  infrastructure
• Web-based system available 24-7
  http//LATS.defra.gov.uk
• Bulletin board to advertise trades
• Borrow up to 5 from future years
• Automatic banking of unused allowances

8
WasteDataFlow

• Used by local authorities throughout UK
• Quarterly returns
• defra, EA, Audit Commission and others can use
  data
• Head start for those who entered 2003/4 data

9
Reconciliation

• The EA will monitor the performance of WDAs
  and report to defra
• June Use WasteDataFlow to calculate the
  biodegradable waste each WDA sends to
  landfill
• July Compare this with annual municipal waste
  returns from landfill sites
• August Review trading activity
• End Aug Send draft reconciliation to WDAs
• October Final report to defra

10
Points of interest

• MBT and emerging technologies can be used to
  reduce biodegradability of waste
• Green waste schemes - the get out of jail free
  card?
• Applying waste to land - waste remains waste
  until fully recovered
• Home composting
• Commercial waste

11
Information sources

• Comparing MBT processes - www.juniper.co.uk
• Environment Agency guidance on counting MBT
• www.environment-agency.gov.uk/LATS
• Local Authority Support Unit (defra)
• http//lasupport.defra.gov.uk/