Waste

The West of England Area has very few facilities for dealing with residual waste - the left over waste that cannot be re-used, recycled or composted.  Currently this is sent to landfill sites elsewhere in the country - wasting a potential resource and damaging the environment.  It is an increasingly expensive method as European laws will soon impose heavy fines on councils who send too much biodegradable waste to landfill.  To reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill the councils are working together on strategies for both waste management and waste planning. 

Waste Planning
In addition to managing household waste, the councils are required to develop a planning framework for where waste of all types - industrial and commercial as well as household - could be handled and treated.  The emphasis is on recovering value from waste.

The four unitary authorities of Bath and North East Somerset Council, Bristol City Council, North Somerset Council and SouthGloucestershire Council submitted the West of England Joint Waste Core Strategy Development Plan Document to the Secretary of State on the 30th July 2010 for independent examination.

A Pre-hearing meeting will take place on 1st October 2010 at 2pm and the Examination hearings will commence on 16th November 2010 at 10am.  For further details please click here.

For further details on the Joint Waste Core Strategy and links to all the documents submitted to the Secretary of State please click here.

Waste Management
Already the four councils have adopted a Joint Waste Strategy which sets out how residual household waste should be managed over the next 20-30 years.  Read more about waste managment in the Partnership area

Waste disposal contract awarded by West of England Partnership

The four West of England councils will save £44 million over the next five years, and reduce the amount of biodegradable waste going to landfill by 75%, thanks to a waste management contract awarded to Dorset company New Earth Solutions...read more

If you have any enquiries please contact Julia Dean, tel. 0117 922 4580; alternatively e-mail: julia.dean@westofengland.org.