The government has approved a £92m private finance initiative (PFI) scheme for new waste facilities in Gloucestershire that it says will cut the amount of rubbish sent to landfill and save thousands of tonnes of carbon.

The proposed scheme will divert up to 263,000 tonnes of biodegradable municipal waste from landfill by 2020.

The UK has been set targets to reduce the amount of waste it sends to landfill to 35 per cent of 1995 levels by 2020 under the EU Landfill Directive.

The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) also says the waste plans will deliver estimated net carbon savings of 33,800 tonnes in 2020 – or almost double that if the final plans include combined heat and power.

The waste facilities are part of Gloucestershire County Council’s aim for a long-term minimum recycling/composting rate of 60 per cent by 2020, which is 10 per cent above the national average.

Environment Minister Jane Kennedy said:

“This will create a real incentive for the local authority and industry to work together to reduce waste and make better use of the waste that is produced, as well as reducing our impact on the environment.”

The council will be inviting bidders in early 2009 and said the climate change impacts of the proposed technologies will be assessed during the procurement process.

• Defra spends £310 million to keep rubbish out of landfill
• Defra demands more energy from unloved logs
• Avoid the landfill, save big money
• Researchers study how to reuse waste in creative, local ways
• Recycling firm plans five new UK plants
• Dung: It’s not waste, it’s fuel
• Councils left with recycling mountains to climb
• Carbon footprint standard launched
• Defra gets carbon negative office
• FTSE opens first eco-index