Landfill Allowance Scheme
The Landfill Allowance Scheme (LAS) was introduced following the closure of the Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme (LATS) in March 2013.
LAS are only in place in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and were developed as a means to meet the respective targets to reduce the amount of biodegradable waste going to landfill.
The landfill allowances scheme requires Waste Disposal Authorities to limit the amount of Biodegradable Municipal Waste going to Landfill. The amount landfilled must be below the allowance that the respective Devolved Administrations within each of these countries has allocated to avoid being liable for a penalty[1].
Natural Resources Wales (NRW) is responsible for monitoring the LAS performance in Wales. The Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) are responsible for monitoring LAS in Scotland. The Northern Ireland Landfill Allowance Scheme (NILAS) is monitored by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency. Within England the Landfill Tax continues to be the primary method of reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill.