According to the report the council, which covers a population of 492,313, has made significant improvements to waste services in the last three years, following the council's announcement that it was identified as a priority.
The council had a 2002/03 recycling rate of 10.6% but has increased this to 17% for 2003/04 and Durham believe it can achieve 25% by 2005.
The Audit Commission said the council's recycling and composting “have improved significantly” because of promotional schemes including road shows linked to the 'Rethink Rubbish' campaign and promotion and bus advertisements. Inspectors said council's waste minimisation initiatives – which have included action on home composting and re-usable nappies – “are starting to have an impact”.
Another area of Durham's work that was complimented was in its partnership with the county's district councils in drawing up a Municipal Waste Management Strategy (MWMS). Through the strategy, the Commission said Durham had been good at target-setting.
The Audit Commission believes that the future is bright for Durham thanks in part to the council's ability to take “tough decisions” when the improvement of the service is at stake. Inspectors also championed Durham's funding levels available in meeting medium term goals, and that the council is already looking into the options available for the long term.
But, the report warned that there is still room for improvement for Durham. Although the strategy has been seen as a success, the commission believes that it needs to be updated in order to include “outcome based” performance indicators.
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