An estimated 2.2 million tonnes of commercial and industrial waste are produced per annum in Kent, of which 54% (1.2 million tonnes) was disposed of via landfill.

Some governmental mechanisms exist to reduce waste being generated by business. For example, the Landfill Tax, introduced through the Finance Act in October 1996, is intended not only to raise Government revenue but also to make the disposal of commercial and industrial waste more costly for businesses thus encouraging more recycling. Whilst Landfill Tax and the overall cost of landfill is currently much lower than other European countries, a sharp increase in the Landfill Tax is expected to be announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in forthcoming budget announcements. This possible increase may add a greater financial incentive to companies to the shift to more intensive approach to recycling and reuse of resources

New European legislation has created a number of mechanisms, which are gradually being put into place in the UK to reduce specific elements of the commercial and industrial waste stream:

	The End of Life Vehicle Directive 2000/53/EC was adopted by the EU in October 2000 and requires all new cars to be 85% recyclable and 95% recoverable by 2005. All cars must be 85% recyclable and 95% recoverable by 2015.
	The final consultation for the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive was completed in October 2006.  They are expected to come into force on 1 January 2007 with the main requirements and obligations on producers and distributors of EEE coming into force from 1 April 2007. Full producer responsibility for the costs of treating household WEEE will start on 1 July 2007.   The legislation is aimed at reusing, recycling and recovering electrical and electronic equipment and minimising the risks and impacts to the environment associated with the treatment and disposal of this equipment.
	Packaging Waste:  As part of existing legislation intended to increase recycling of packaging waste generated by the manufacturing sector, the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 1997 places an obligation on larger businesses (that handle more than 50 tonnes of packaging per year) to recycle their packaging waste. Those companies with this obligation can achieve compliance either by setting up recycling schemes of their own or by joining a registered compliance scheme such as VALPAK. These schemes are established to capture the packaging waste generated within commerce industry and also to recycle post-consumer packaging waste through bring sites and kerbside collection schemes.
	Municipal Waste:  In 1999/2000, 700,000 tonnes of household waste were produced in Kent and 116,000 tonnes in Medway, of which around 88% was sent to landfill sites. Kent County Council has produced a Sustainable Waste Management Strategy for Kent to move from the traditional landfill dominated waste management regime to a more recycling-intensive solution for waste. This Strategy assists local authorities in Kent to meet Government target recycling targets for 2003/04 and 2005/06 and aims to build partnerships to achieve the harmonisation of collection or disposal contracts.
	Medway Council has a Waste Management Strategy that seeks to maximise recycling rates and develop opportunities for new waste collection initiatives.
	In March 2001, the Government introduced the “Guidance on Municipal Waste Management Strategies”, giving guidance which would assist in the development of Waste Strategies. In addition, in a context of Best Value Performance Indicators, the document sets statutory recycling targets for 2003/04 and 2005/06 for each individual local authority in England. These Indicators will produce a greater need for recycling schemes and a need for an increased capacity for end markets.

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