MEMORANDUM BY AYLESBURY VALE DISTRICT
COUNCIL (DSW 76)
I would like to make some observations in relation
to the domestic waste stream.
Aylesbury Vale District Council along with three
other District Councils and the Buckinghamshire County Council,
constitute the Waste Disposal area for which the proposed statutory
targets within the Waste Strategy 2000 will be applicable.
Our current recycling level is just over 15
per cent hence we will be required to increase our recycling rate
to 33.3 per cent by 2003.
The five councils have for some considerable
time been working in close collaboration to determine a waste
strategy for the area, and already have in place a number of joint
working initiatives such as glass consortium for the sale of the
materials collected across the county. We are currently actively
examining the way ahead and preparing to consult with the public
on options for meeting the targets both short and longer term.
We are however extremely concerned at the scale of the task that
faces us.
We fully recognise the need to reduce the amounts
of waste we produce and for the reductions in the amounts of bio-degradable
waste to landfill, however the degree of impact that the local
authority may have is largely dependant on Government Policies
allied to the commercial and public response to those.
In particular we are concerned that:
— There is only limited impact that
we can have on waste minimisation whilst there is still extremely
limited control on the amount of packaging materials used.
— Financial instruments aimed at controlling
packaging do not appear to have influenced the prices paid for
materials to the collectors (Local Authorities).
— The increase in markets for recycled
materials is essential to ensure that materials diverted from
landfill to recycling can be so used. However, additional demands
and materials available may well have the effect of reducing prices
for materials, whilst collection costs continue to rise.
— Locally we have not seen a reduction
in the amount of waste to landfill despite increases in the amount
recycled and composted. We do not consider that the increases
in the landfill tax have had any impact on the attitudes of householders
to the amount of waste they generate. With average household tonnage
of domestic waste, the £1 per tonne/year increases equates
to little more than 80p per year per household.
— Action to educate the public about
the importance of sustainable waste management appears to have
had limited effect. It must be allied to locally available, simple
to use services such as door to door collection of recyclables.
Education is of little value unless the public is able to use
that education, waste minimisation messages are only of value
if there are actions that the public can take which have impact,
and consequently justify the local investment.
— The implementation of the strategy
will require considerable investment, from the waste management
industry to provide the infrastructure, from reprocessors and
manufacturers to use the materials and from local authorities
to collect materials. Irrespective of how willing local authorities
are to participate in the process, new initiatives will require
funding, and we have no confidence at this time that sufficient
funding will be available.
September 2000
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