A recent survey by SMILE Resource Exchange revealed that 60% of respondents were unaware that the landfill levy is set to rise from €50/tonne to €65/tonne in July 2012 and to €75/tonne in June 2013. This will obviously increase costs again for business
However, it is not the cost of disposing of waste that is most significant, but the cost of making the waste in the first place. Waste generally consists of materials that have been bought, stored, processed and then thrown away. The rule of thumb is that the cost to make the waste is six times the cost of disposal.
In one waste reduction project we managed, Oran Precast was originally sending 24 tonne per week to landfill, at the end of the project this was totally eliminated and the cost saving was impressive. However, the real gain was that the processes producing the waste were re-engineered so that waste was eliminated. This resulted in production capacity increasing by 20% and two truck movements per week were eliminated. For the case study we produced see http://cleanerproduction.ie/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Oran-Precast.pdf
When seeking to minimise waste disposal costs, the opportunity should be taken to examine the whole process and then re-engineer to eliminate waste and gain the widest range of benefits. Environmental Efficiency has significant experience in this area and can help you define the projects with the greatest potential, apply for any grants available and then work with you to complete the project.