Government 'too slow' on landfill

Councils are trying to divert food, paper and plant waste from landfill

A slow government response to EU rules on dumping rubbish could leave councils having to pay hundreds of millions of pounds in fines, according to a report.

The National Audit Office (NAO) says England could miss European targets to halve the amount of biodegradable waste going to landfill by 2013.

The UK government says it will pass on any resultant EU fines to councils.

But the auditors said it had failed to help authorities get waste treatment plants set up quickly enough.

An EU directive passed in 1999 requires England to cut the amount of biodegradable waste - which includes food, paper and vegetation - sent to landfill by 50% on 1995 levels.

If the "challenging" 2013 deadline is missed the EU is expected to levy fines on the UK as a whole and the government has said it will fine local authorities