waste disposal

until now britain has opted for burying most of its rubbish. around four fifths of municipal waste is sent to landfill sites. this approach has made considerable sense in an island with sites to spare because of its particular geology and its history of quarrying. but landfill sites are getting scarce particularly in southern england where most people live. and they are becoming expensive to run as the government insists on safeguards against environmental hazards like the leaching of toxic waste into underground aquefiers but the biggest constraint on dumping stuff in landfill sites is britain's commitment to meet european targets to slash the amount of biodegradable waste-about 60% of household rubbish-that is put into landfill sites. these targets are intended to cut emissions of methane (a greenhouse gas) and to reduce the risk of water contamination from landfill. if you can't bury it an alternatives is to burn it. this certainly seemed to be the initial thrust of government thinking a few years ago. a programme to build as many as 130 new incinerators was envisaged. but burning also entails environmental risks. although new incinerators are now much cleaner than earlier ones people are scared of exposure to dangerous chemicals like cancer-producing dioxins. the political difficulties i selling an expansion of incineration are immense.