Not much! The latest figures in the Surrey Waste Tracker show that just 0.2% of Surrey’s total waste goes to landfill. And that’s a good thing, because environmentally it’s the worst thing to do with waste. In this article, we’re going to look at what landfill is, why it’s sometimes necessary and what the picture looks like across the country.
Landfill is the disposal of waste that can’t be recycled, reused or recovered into or onto land. Landfill sites are created by digging a big hole into land and lining it. Once created, waste is tipped into it and each day, the waste is covered over with a layer of material such as soil.
The waste decomposes as microbes break it down naturally. When this happens, the waste produces a liquid called leachate and gas. The gas is extracted and either burnt or treated and the leachate is removed and taken to be treated elsewhere or on-site. It’s illegal to export waste to be landfilled.
In Surrey, we only send waste to landfill when it’s the only option. This is usually because the waste contains hazardous substances or is so large that it can’t be treated any other way. Landfill may also be used because technical reasons such as maintenance shutdowns have meant that energy from waste treatment is unavailable.
Across local authorities in England, the average proportion of waste sent to landfill is 5.5%, placing Surrey as one of the best in the country. To find out more about the management of Surrey’s landfill sites, visit Surrey County Council’s webpage on how they manage waste and recycling in Surrey.