Essex in major consultation on joint waste strategy

A draft strategy is to be 'tested' by the county's 5,000 strong citizen's panel and will be subject to further scrutiny in a series of focus groups and surveys by polling firm MORI.

Ambitious plans have been proposed to reduce waste and increase recycling, suggesting that the councils should bid for some 75 million in Private Finance Initiative credits from the government to help fund infrastructure improvements.

” We may be looking for more than one company to provide the contract and if a consortium puts in a bid that meets the evaluation criteria we will listen to their ideas. “
– Peter Kelsbie, Essex CC
The draft sets out a provisional timetable to invite bidders between May and October 2005, with a final preferred bidder selected by October next year and final details of the contract to be completed by July 2007.

Already the strategy has been approved by Essex and its key partners in the county's Waste Management Advisory Board – Basildon, Braintree, Brentwood, Castle Point, Chelmsford, Colchester, Epping Forest, Harlow, Maldon, Rochford, Tendring and Uttlesford councils.

Areas
The strategy recognises that a 'one size fits all' solution is unlikely for such a large and diverse county, and divides Essex into three operational areas which could each have their own waste contracts.

Peter Kelsbie, waste and recycling project manager at Essex, said: “In the south of the county there are roads that a dustcart would not be able to get down while in the north there are areas where houses are several miles apart so we have to look at alternate ways of doing things.

Uttlesford, Braintree, Harlow, Epping Forest and Brentwood form the West area; with Colchester, Tendring, Chelmsford and Maldon in the East and Basildon, Castle Point and Rochford forming the South area.

Mr Kelsbie said: “We may be looking for more than one company to provide the contract and if a consortium puts in a bid that meets the evaluation criteria we will listen to their ideas. We are also entertaining the idea of utilising smaller local collection companies with larger companies covering the disposal. At the moment we are not counting anything out.”

Essex has worked with other counties including Hampshire, Shropshire and Leicestershire to help shape its draft strategy (see letsrecycle.com story).

Unitaries
Though the adjoining unitary councils of Thurrock and Southend are not part of the formal waste management arrangements in Essex, the consultation suggests that they could work with the south area councils to develop a waste strategy for the Thames Gateway area.

Essex produces more than 720,000 tonnes of rubbish a year with some 75% being sent to landfill. Overall recycling rates in the county have improved from 18.2% in 2000/01 to 25% in the latest Defra figures for 20003/04, a figure ahead of the county's statutory target of 22%.

The county's draft plan suggests greater priority should be given to recycling and biological treatment of waste, and councillors have already set a minimum target for recycling 45% by 2009/10 rising to 55% by 2030.

These would be reduced to 'more realistic' targets of just 40% for 2009/10 and 45% by 2030 if the strategy does not secure PFI funding – but still well ahead of the national recycling target of 33% by 2015.