Gate Fee
Overview
When Residual Waste or any other form of collected waste or recyclables are taken to a facility for Treatment or Disposal i.e. MRF, IVC, AD, EfW and Landfill there is a transaction between the holder/collector of the waste and the operator of the facility/site. The collector typically pays to the facility an amount per tonne measured at the point of receipt at the site commonly referred to as the Gate Fee.
In the case of Residual Waste or Disposal generally there is payment to the operator, in the case of Treatment or Recycling there may be a payment made by the operator or Reprocessor to the collector reflecting the value of the material being received (often reported as a negative gate fee in market based reports). In some cases a Gate Fee may reflect both, and so an example might be the Gate Fee at a MRF for Dry Mixed Recyclables, where a Gate Fee may be charged and then a rebate is given according to the quality and mix of materials delivered and the contamination levels presented - leading to either a net positive or negative Gate fee overall.
In the case of Disposal to Landfill, Landfill Tax is applied in addition to the Gate Fee applicable at the Landfill site and set by the operator of the Landfill.
Gate Fee Reporting
There are several on-line market trackers of Gate Fees, but WRAP provide an annual report on the Gate Fee paid Local Authorities alongside Gate Fees for others collecting MSW and Business Waste generally. The most recent report [1] Gate Fees not only on the basis of the Treatment facility, but also on the regional differences across the UK which vary according to the supply/demand in an area and the commercial pricing approach taken by the operator. The summary table from the report is reproduced below for reference:
