Falkirk landfill piles make it one of UK 's least sustainable locations

According to a new study by waste management firm Envirovue – made possible through responses to Freedom of Information requests from just 45 of over 400 UK councils – Falkirk’s 77,065 tonnes of landfill waste recorded between 2020 and 2022 place it at number eight in the top ten, with Cambridge County Council topping the list at 331,765 tonnes.

City of Glasgow Council is forth on the list with 127,604 tonnes of landfill wast recorded over the last three years, while Perth and Kinross Council is seventh on the list with 117,692 tonnes.

The study reveals businesses and individuals in the top ten locations have sent 1,375,992 tonnes of commercial and household waste to landfill between 2020 and 2022.

Envirovue stated one of the largest contributors to methane emissions in the UK from the waste sector is landfill – accounting for 81 per cent of emissions from the sector.

The firm believes this highlights the need for businesses and individuals to step up their commitment to the zero-to-landfill movement.

Envirovue director Daniel Redfern said: “Under environmental laws, businesses are required to have their waste collected by an Environment Agency registered waste contractor, completing a Waste Transfer Note, which confirms safe disposal, for each load of waste that leaves a businesses premises.

“If the correct procedures are followed, and councils continue to encourage this, businesses can be assured that their waste isn’t being dumped illegally, and councils can be safe in the knowledge that this could prevent fly-tipping too.

“Businesses, individuals, and councils across the UK should be really concerned about what happens to waste in landfill because the process is a major source of pollutants and contributes to global warming.

“It produces toxins, leachate, and greenhouse gases which pollute our planet, and it’s currently doing so at an alarming rate. If businesses put the environment first and commit to working with a sustainable waste management company, sustainability metrics will be improved by increasing recycling rates as well as reducing and automatically offsetting emissions, and in the long run, it would help to achieve their zero-to-landfill targets.”