02 Mar 2015

Gate fees for landfill sites, excluding tax, have fallen slightly from 2016 but local authorities and waste contractors expect to see increases soon as available capacity reduces.

That was the verdict from resources charity WRAP, which released its annual gate fee report last week for 2017, which covers gate fees charged to local authorities in the UK for municipal waste recycling, recovery, treatment, and disposal options.

The report found that after an increase in 2016 to an average of £22 a tonne, UK gate fees for non-hazardous waste at landfill sites actually fell from last year’s 2016 report, averaging out at around £20 a tonne.

£82 landfill high

However, the report had a large range, with costs ranging from £2 a tonne to a high of £82 for non-hazardous waste from a total of 80 responses.

The mode for non-hazardous waste, which is the most common number in a pattern, stood at between £20 to £25 while the median, the middle number, stood at £20 a tonne.

“Landfill gate fees vary regionally, depending upon the availability of capacity locally and of alternative options such as EfW or ports for RDF export,” the report read.

Including tax, the range was £88- £168.

Gate fees are highest in Wales (which has increased from £26 to £32/tonne since 2016) and lowest in Northern Ireland at £13/tonne.

As outlined below, in England, there are many regional differences, according to WRAP, with the lowest gate fees seen in Yorkshire and the East of England, both at £13/tonne.