Refuse disposal in Northern Ireland has for decades been almost solely reliant on 22 municipal landfill sites, which dispose of more than 95 per cent of the North's one million tons of rubbish a year. The landfill levy per ton currently stands at £10 sterling but is set to rise to £15 a ton in the next few years under British government and EU pressure.
Given the current lack of alternatives to landfill sites - Northern Ireland has no incinerator for biodegradable and household waste - the EU's target date of 2005 for a 25 per cent reduction of such waste dumped in landfills has had to be extended to 2009.
As there are few facilities for recycling anything other than glass, materials such as plastics have to be exported abroad for reprocessing, in some cases as far as China.
The North's 26 district councils are responsible for the disposal of waste in their areas, with some having their own landfill sites and others using those of adjacent councils or sites run by commercial companies. Households are charged between £20 and £39 a year, depending on their local council, for waste collection as part of their rates.
A new waste strategy document containing 93 recommendations is to be published at the end of this month. Produced by the Department of the Environment, local authorities and environmental groups, it will recommend a greater co-operation of councils in the area of waste management and the development of a market for recycled products. It is also likely to endorse the building of a number of incinerators.