Homeowners in UK neighbourhoods could see savings on their
home energy bills if a parliamentary proposal is supported.
A group of MPs is looking to create a scheme whereby homeowners who agree to the building of a "waste-to-energy" plant in their neighbourhood would in return receive incentives that could include energy discounts.
According to the Sunday Times, the proposal is geared to "kick-start" plans to find alternatives to landfill sites for people's rubbish.
The Associate Parliamentary Sustainable Resource Group (APSRG) believes that financial incentives could prove to be the best way forward, specifically with reductions on home utility and energy prices.
It is just one of a range of ideas designed to tackle an ongoing problem. Britain is said to be throwing out 65 million tonnes of waste which ends up in landfill and there are many calls to find alternative ways to dispose of household waste which is not being recycled.
Of course, waste alternatives are not the only way to reduce landfill levels and there was good news about how one British city has adapted to the need for recycling.
Residents in Liverpool have more than tripled the amount of their waste that is recycled in the past five years from 15,000 tonnes a year to 49,000 tonnes of recycled waste.
Laura Underwood of Recycle Now said that whilst the amount of waste sent to landfill is falling in the UK thanks to increased recycling, if everyone recycled routinely, the total yearly amount of rubbish sent to UK landfill sites would decrease.
Last month's report by the APSRG, which is led by shadow environment minister Lord Taylor, also suggested other ideas such as community ownership schemes or annual fees as a way to reduce waste, which other European nations are tackling too.
Both France and Germany lead the way in terms of waste-to-energy plants. There are more than 4,000 "anaerobic digestors" which can break down organic waste and transform it into an energy source to be re-used.
Environment minister Dan Norris last month showed support for the policies put forward by the group on community incentives and said the government will be looking closely at the APSRG's recommendations.
