Hygieneco – helping the UK meet landfill targets

The UK will run out of landfill by 2018, if current usage remains as it is. That’s the conclusion of a recent EU environmental report which has underscored the UK’s reputation as the “dustbin of Europe”.

In fact, the UK buries more than 18.8 million tonnes of household waste – two million tonnes more than any other EU country. On current trends, British taxpayers will face “fines” of up to £180m a year by 2020 if targets under an EU scheme to reduce the amount of paper, food and garden waste being sent to landfill sites are not met. Penalties will be imposed on local authorities but will, in effect, be passed on to residents.

57 million tonnes of rubbish, including industrial and sanitary waste, are being disposed in landfill sites each year. With 650 million cubic metres of capacity left in the ground – three times the volume of Lake Windermere – the UK will reach its limit by 2018.

Washroom waste forms a significant part of the total volume of waste sent to landfill. That’s why, at Hygieneco, we’re committed to providing washroom technology which sends nothing at all to landfill. Every product we supply has been fully tested to ensure that their impact on the landfill problem is at an absolute minimum. And that’s not all – we also apply best practice and adopt a leading stance in the development of greener services and an environmentally friendly supply chain. We evaluate all aspects of our business to ensure that we constantly provide the best service to our customers whilst reducing the impact on the environment.

We are not the only company making a small but significant contribution to the growth of a greener environment. Many others are also doing what they can to help. But it is likely to take many more to join us, if the UK is to meet its 2020 targets.