LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM -- (Marketwire) -- 02/21/13 -- The recent decline in the number of landfill sites is good news for the environment - but there are now serious questions being raised about the disposal plans for millions of tonnes of commercial and industrial non-recyclable waste.

EU directives have set challenging targets for the UK and other EU countries to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill, with the result that in the last eight years the number of active sites has fallen by over 75%.

With landfill tax also due to increase to GBP 80 a tonne in April 2014, there is a huge demand for merchant waste infrastructure.

However, the required number of merchant waste plants is not being built, with research pointing to the accessibility of finance as a key barrier.

Planning consent has also been an issue, although that should be overcome if the intended site is well located with good transport links. Other reasons behind the plant shortage include the risk of unexpected changes to government policy.

Orion Waste, a waste management and resource recovery service operating throughout the South East of England, believes the lack of merchant waste plants is a serious problem that needs to be rectified.

A spokesperson said: "The waste management industry has experienced significant modernisation in recent years and it is very good news that the environmentally damaging practice of landfill waste disposal is on the decline.

"Establishing a merchant waste infrastructure capable of dealing with the amount of commercial and industrial non-recyclable waste in the UK is absolutely essential, and it's a real concern that prospective plants are having to negotiate so many barriers.

"While caution is understandable with some projects, it may well be that radical policy action is the only answer to get investment to merchant plants flowing to the extent required."

Orion provides a full business waste collection service to over 1,000 contracted customers through its own fleet of vehicles.

Capable of all types of rubbish collection and disposal including mixed waste, glass, metal, paper, cardboard and food waste, Orion has the knowledge and experience to match the most suitable recycling, reuse or disposal system to keep costs down and reduce environmental impact.

For more information about Orion Waste's full range of commercial recycling services, visit www.orion-waste.co.uk.