Landfill fears over British waste

British packaging waste shipped overseas for recycling could actually be ending up in landfills due to inadequate checks, the government’s spending watchdog has warned.

Packaging recycling obligations require more than 7,000 firms responsible for generating waste to demonstrate that a certain amount has been recycled.

But a report by the National Audit Office (NAO) found that since 2002 the amount of waste sent to overseas landfill has increased sixfold.