Cornwall is set to exceed its waste limit by 15,000 tonnes

The county council will be charged �150 for every tonne it goes over the new waste limits set by the government.

It is predicted the county, at its current rate, will exceed its limit for 2005-06 by 15,000 tonnes, triggering a penalty of �2.25m.

The new scheme is designed to reduce the amount of biodegradable waste being buried in the ground.

Incinerator plans

Cornwall has relied very heavily on its two landfill tips at United Downs, near St Day, and Connon Bridge, near Liskeard.

The United Downs tip is 15m (49ft) deep and has a volume of 250,000 cubic metres (8.8m cubic ft) - the equivalent of 125 Olympic-sized swimming pools - but the council predicts it will be full by 2010.

The council is currently considering three bids for a �500m contract to collect and dispose of the county's rubbish.

Most of the current bids include plans for an incinerator somewhere in central Cornwall, but it would probably be 2009-10 before such a plant was built.

In the meantime, the council has been touring the county with a roadshow, urging people to carry out more recycling and composting.

The government limits have come under fire from environmental groups, who say it will mean more rubbish being burnt, rather than sent to landfill.