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What Happens to your Waste?

The Joint Municipal Waste Management Strategy for Herefordshire & Worcestershire, 2004-2034

Not so many years ago, waste was not the issue it is today. We did not create the volume of waste we do now, and all that went in the bin was mainly ash, kitchen waste and some packaging - which ended up on the local tip. But we live in changing times. The advent of consumerism and a more affluent and throwaway society has led to changes in our lifestyle and the way goods and materials are packaged.

Waste is growing at an alarming rate. The annual current cost of dealing with this waste in the two counties of Herefordshire and Worcestershire is about £25 million and the costs are increasing. Landfill tax will increase from £15 to £35 per tonne within the next few years and new treatment facilities will be needed to treat our waste so that we can meet the changes in legislation. We must make tough decisions as to how to tackle the problem.

Driven by Government and European legislation and a higher social awareness, we all need to rethink how we deal with our rubbish.

This Joint Municipal Waste Management Strategy for Herefordshire and Worcestershire sets out the problems, looks at where we are now and how we can move forward.

To view the 10 year Joint Waste Management Strategy for Worcestershire and Herefordshire, please click here  (1.23 MB):

The Integrated Waste Management System

The Integrated Waste Management System provides the council's strategy for the management of household waste for the next 25 years.  In December 1998 Herefordshire Council and Worcestershire Council signed a 25 year contract to provide these facilities which are operated by Severn Waste Services.

The Integrated Waste Management system, originally based on the Government's white paper "Making Waste Work", published in December 1995, sets targets to:

• Recycle or compost 26% of all household waste
• Recover value from 52% of waste by 2005

The government has subsequently set new national targets, published in 2000, along with statutory performance standards for each local authority.  The standards for Worcestershire are to

• recycle or compost 20% by 2003/4
• recycle or compost 30% by 2005/6

and for Redditch 10% and 18% respectively.

These standards exceed the minimum levels set in the county's waste services contract so the council is working with the waste collection authorities to increase levels of recycling and composting, and to develop a joint municipal waste management strategy. This shouls be available for puclic consuiltation in March 2004.

Waste Services Contract

The Waste Contract is a massive legal document.  Although the document itself is confidential, a large part of it is available for inspection.  The relevant parts can be inspected at County Hall, Worcester by appointment (contact 01905 766 867).  The key parts are the Waste Services Contract (terms and conditions, and schedules) and the Service Delivery Plans of each site, which sets out the details of how the service is to be provided.  

At this time, the following are the Waste Management facilities operated by Severn Waste Services in Worcestershire and Herefordshire on behalf of the two Councils.

Pre-sorted Materials Reclamation Facilities (MRF's)

MRF at Hill and Moor. Materials are sorted from a trial kerbside scheme.

Transfer stations

Waste collected by the district council refuse lorries is compacted into larger quantities before transport to disposal facilities. This reduces the number of journeys needed to dispose of waste.   There are three transfer stations in the area (Redditch, Leominster, and Hereford).  A further facility is to be provided in the Bromsgrove area.

Redditch Transfer Station

Landfill site

Situated at Hill and Moor near Pershore. Here waste is buried in the ground. The site also uses the methane gas produced to generate electricity.

Household Waste Sites

Members of the public can use these sites to recycle and dispose of waste.

The site in Redditch has been refurbished and improved with split level facilities for a wider range of recycling facilities. For more information see the Household Waste Site Section.

New Ledbury Household Waste Site

Composting

There is an existing composting site at Hill and Moor near Pershore. A second site will be constructed in Hereford subject to planning permission. Both sites compost green waste collected from the household waste sites.  The resultant soil conditioner “Green Grow" is available for sale at £2 per bag, or £2.50 per tonne through the houshold waste site.

Screening mature compost at Hill and Moor