Waste Strategy

The Government published its Waste Strategy for England and Wales Waste Strategy 2000 (WS2000) in May 2000. This describes the Government's vision for managing waste and resources better for the next 20 years. It sets a number of targets for increasing the recycling of municipal waste, and reducing the amount that can be disposed of to landfill.

We must recycle or compost 25 per cent of household waste by 2005, 30 per cent by 2010, and 33 per cent by 2015.

We must 'recover value' from 40 per cent of municipal waste by 2005, from 45 per cent by 2010, and from 67 per cent by 2015.

We must reduce industrial and commercial waste sent to landfill to 85 per cent of 1998 levels by 2015.

The Strategy requires that decisions on the type of waste management technique to use, including decisions on suitable sites for treatment and disposal, should be based on a local assessment of the Best Practicable Environmental Option (BPEO). This requires managers to take decisions which minimise damage to the environment as a whole, at an acceptable cost in the long and short term. It is based on three key considerations:

The waste hierarchy places reduction as the most preferable option for managing waste. This is followed by re-use, then recovery through recycling, composting and energy recovery, and lastly disposal. It is important to note that the strategy states that “incineration with energy recovery should not be considered before the opportunities for recycling and composting have been explored.”

The proximity principle requires waste to be disposed of as close to the place of production as possible. This avoids passing the environmental costs of waste management to communities which are not responsible for its generation. It also reduces the environmental costs of transporting waste.

Self sufficiency: waste should not be exported from the UK for disposal, and waste planning authorities and the waste management industry should aim, wherever practicable, for regional self sufficiency in managing waste.

The Waste Hierarchy (in order of preference)

The UK could meet the requirements of the EU Landfill Directive through recycling and composting alone. But because the Government’s recycling targets are not high enough, many councils are including incineration in their waste strategies.

It should be noted that WP2's waste will be industrial, commercial & demolition, and not household! The targets quoted have no relevance to this application.