The Mersey Waste Disposal Authority (MWDA) which consists of the five district councils in the Merseyside area – Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral, is currently in the process of developing a waste strategy.
”Providing residents do their bit, it should be feasible to recycle up to 40% or more of the region's waste. Last year we recycled 10%.“
– Carl Beer, director of MWDA
The strategy, which is expected to come into place in 2008, is seen as crucial to deal with the 800,000 tonnes of municipal waste produced in the area each year.
As part of a questionnaire the MWDA is giving residents a chance to find out about the growing problem, the possible solutions for dealing with the issue and have their say on how the region's waste should be collected, and treated.
Carl Beer, director of MWDA, said: “Providing residents do their bit, it should be feasible to recycle up to 40% or more of the region's waste. Last year we recycled 10%. We need to determine whether residents agree with this target and what lengths they would go to in order to ensure this is reached. However, we still need to treat and dispose of the residual waste once we've recycled all that we can.”
Residents paying
Mr Beer also said that the area cannot continue to use landfill as the primary means of waste disposal as the government is imposing heavy fines under the Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme (LATS). He said: “Ultimately these fines will need to be paid out of resident's Council Tax bills. So it is imperative that we find a financially and environmentally suitable alternative.”
”It will cost many millions of pounds over the next ten years to implant the strategy but it will be more sustainable and cost effective in the long term. “
– Councillor John Fletcher, chairman of MWDA
The questionnaire outlines the potential solutions for waste treatment disposal and asks residents which they would find more preferable. The options include mechanical biological treatment with or without fuel recovery, energy from waste through incineration, advanced thermal treatment or anaerobic digestion and landfill.
The questionnaire outlines to residents what each option entails and the positives and negatives that come with each and asks the resident for their views on what combination MWDA should use.
New markets
Councillor John Fletcher, chairman of MWDA said: “The strategy will examine ways of reducing waste, increasing recycling and finding new technologies that enable us to create a financial return from waste. We will also be looking at diverting waste away from landfill and we will be working to develop end markets to turn former waste materials into useful products.
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“There is an overwhelming justification for reducing landfill. It will cost many millions of pounds over the next ten years to implant the strategy but it will be more sustainable and cost effective in the long term,” he added.
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