The UK Ollie Recycles Project was made possible by funding gained through the Landfill Tax Rebate Initiative.
This tax was introduced in the Finance Act and came into operation on 1 October 1996. It is the first truly "green
tax" in the UK and its purpose is to reflect the impact of landfill on the environment and also to help achieve the targets for more sustainable waste management as set out in the Government's White Paper "Making
Waste Work".
The tax, levied on the tonnage of all material disposed of in landfill sites and collected by HM Customs and Excise, aims to encourage
recycling and reduce waste by raising the cost of disposal.
It has been estimated that during 1996/97 HM Customs and Excise collected £500 million in tax.
The regulations allow landfill site operators, such as Biffa Waste Services Ltd., (http://www.biffa.co.uk/ ) to direct up to 20 per cent of the tax they have collected towards approved local and national environmental projects.
However, any approved project can only receive 90 per cent of its desired funding from this landfill tax.
The remaining 10 per cent must come direct from the landfill site operator or from a third party organisation or company
Biffa Wastes Services Ltd. has agreed to continue funding of the Ollie Recycles Programme in the UK contributing 90% of the funds to
continue the development and dissemination of the programme within the community. The remaining 10% comes from other organisations including
Aylesford Newsprint Ltd
British Glass Corus Steel Packaging Recycling Groundwork IXLA Limited RECOUP
A range of other groups have also contributed to the project by providing specialist advice and by reviewing key sections of the programme.
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