South East to consider green belt for new waste facilities

The policy forms part of the Assembly's new Regional Waste Management Strategy, which was approved last week in Winchester, as the region desperately seeks the infrastructure needed to reach tough recycling and landfill diversion targets.

The 20-year Strategy covers waste management in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East and West Sussex, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire and Surrey. It also plans for management of a “declining amount” of waste from London.

Paul Bevan, the Assembly's chief executive, said: “There is a real urgent need to tackle the region's waste problem and new waste management facilities need to be developed quickly, as by 2010 the landfill sites will be running out.”

The decision to consider green belt land for new waste facilities was reached by majority vote after a contentious debate within the Assembly. The strategy requires the consideration of green belt land for waste facilities in order that waste is treated “as close to source as possible and in a self-sufficient way”.

The new strategy includes municipal waste recycling targets to get from the current 19% rate to 30% by 2005 and 50% by 2015. Commercial-industrial waste recycling targets are to increase the current 35% to 40% by 2005 and 55% by 2015. There are also targets for construction and demolition waste to move from 40% to 45% by 2005 and 60% by 2015.

These targets had been made tougher that those originally proposed following a public consultation into the draft strategy (see letsrecycle.com story).

Burning
Pressure group Friends of the Earth has criticised the South East's strategy for failing to take a “strong stance against incineration”. The group said that keeping the option of burning household waste in the regional strategy will “prevent recycling and composting targets being met”.

Commenting on the Assembly's strategy, FoE regional campaigns co-ordinator Brenda Pollack said: “They are saying a big, loud 'yes' to recycling, which is excellent, but they've potentially shot themselves in the foot by not taking an equally clear stance against incineration. Such an out-dated, inflexible technology will not help the region deal with its waste in the most environmentally sound way. By allowing more incinerators in the strategy, they are in real danger of not achieving these very good recycling targets.”

The next step for the South East England's Regional Waste Management Strategy will be its official submission to the government in March 2004.