This Municipal Solid Waste Management Strategy (MSWMS) for Wigan Borough sets out the objectives of municipal solid waste (MSW) management until 2030.The sustainable management of MSW is an important and challenging environmental issue that we face today in order to assist in protecting our environment for the future and meet targets set for us.
Under the European Union Landfill Directive, targets have been set for the UK to reduce the amount of Biodegradable Municipal Waste (BMW) going to landfill as follows:
- By 2010 to reduce the amount of BMW going to landfill to 75% of that produced in 1995.
- By 2013 to reduce the amount of BMW going to landfill to 50% of the 1995 figure.
- By 2020 to reduce the amount of BMW going to landfill to 35% of the 1995 figure.
These targets are mandatory. Failure to meet them will expose the UK to fines from the European Court of Justice of up to £0.5 million per day. The Waste and Emissions Trading Bill put in place a system to allow the UK to meet its targets and help both tackle climate change and move towards more sustainable waste management. The Bill set limits on the amount of BMW that local authorities may send to landfill. In England the system that was put in place is the Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme (LATS) which regulates and monitors compliance with the Landfill Directive obligations. The scheme sets an amount of BMW that can be sent to landfill by each council until 2020. Councils have to ensure that the amount of BMW sent to landfill by them in any particular scheme year does not exceed the amount allowed by the scheme.
To address these global, European, national, regional and local needs this MSWMS has been developed. The way we manage waste must improve further. Wigan Borough is no different to many other are as in that we still send large quantities of waste to landfill. We have already made strides to improve the way we manage waste and recycle and compost more of our waste, but we have along way to go to maximise the amount of waste we recycle and compost. As we move to a more sustainable way of living we must utilise our resources better, including materials we have finished with or discarded. To achieve this, the council will follow the principles of the waste management hierarchy. The hierarchy sets out the sequence in which we should look to minimise the amount of waste that is sent for disposal, first through reducing the waste produced, then through reusing the waste that is generated and then by recycling. It also sets out the preferences for the disposal of waste, with disposal that has some recovery of either material or energy being preferable to landfill where all of the resources are lost.
Our objectives are to:
- Improve the management of MSW, managing the waste in a more sustainable manner to reduce the impact it has on the environment, including reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and to gain the most environmental benefit possible from residual waste.
- To reduce both the amount of MSW produced and the amount sent to landfill.
- To manage waste following the principals of the waste hierarchy.
- To deliver a service that provides best value.
- To fulfil all our statutory obligations.
- To provide proactive education to and engage with residents and stakeholders.
- To ensure that services are accessible to all service users and provide encouragement for community involvement.
- To recognise the need for conservation of natural resources and protection of the environment.
- To seek to continually improve performance.
How will we achieve our objectives?
In order to achieve the stated objectives, we will;
- Provide all suitable properties with recycling collections of: -plastics, glass, cans by December 2010 -green waste (for properties generating green waste) by March 2009 -compostable kitchen waste by March 2015
- Continue to provide collections of paper from all properties and increase pulpables collected to include cardboard and other suitable paper-based waste by March 2012, using a bin instead of a bag.
- Improve existing Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) to increase accessibility to recycling for residents and increase recycling and composting rates at all sites.
- Replace the HWRCs that are unsuitable for current and future needs and are poorer performing(Frog Lane and Orrell )with a new purpose built HWRC that will meet future needs.
- Improve the cost-effectiveness, recycling and re-use of bulky waste collections and seek to work with the third sector to deliver social benefits from the material collected.
- Produce waste planning guidance for new developments to ensure appropriate recycling facilities can be provided.
- Actively seek to maximise cost-effective recycling and composting of waste, before utilising residual waste management technology.
- Utilise residual waste treatment technology (either Energy from Waste or Mechanical Biological Treatment)to meet the medium to long term requirements of the borough under LATS(Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme).Consideration will be given to partnership working with other authorities if this can provide demonstrable benefits to the Council.
- Introduce a formalised refuse collection policy.
- Undertake proactive local community education schemes to increase awareness of the issues driving the need to recycle, the details of the recycling schemes operated and the materials collected.
- Actively promote waste minimisation and movement up the waste hierarchy.
- Continue to promote home composting of green and kitchen waste through the continued provision of reduced price compost bins and support for residents composting their waste.
- Continue to promote the authorised recycling and disposal of Commercial waste, while actively enforcing the access policy for HWRCs (through the use of the permit scheme, CCTV and Automated Number Plate Recognition systems).
- Ensure that all residents in the borough have access to a bring recycling site(recycling point)by providing them within 1km of all residences. Our targets are to:
- Stabilise municipal waste growth to 1% by 2010 and reduce it to 0% by 2020.
- Achieve recycling and composting standards of 45% by 2015 and 50% by 2020.
- Recover 67% of waste by 2015 and 75% by 2020.
- Reduce biodegradable municipal waste landfilled to levels consistent with those set for Wigan Council by LATS.
- Serve all households with a recycling collection of at least two materials by December 2010 to meet the requirements of the Household Waste Recycling Act 2003.
- Increase recycling and composting at HWRCs to 70% by 2013.
- Reduce residual household waste per household to 887kg per household by 2008/9, 791kg by 2009/10 and 776 kg by 2010/2011. Would you like more detailed information?
Waste Strategy 2009 - 2030
You can download the Waste Strategy here. Please save paper and avoid printing out if possible
Waste Strategy 2009-2030 (.pdf, 675kb)
Future waste management
With pressures now changing Wigan Council recognises the need to make significant adjustments to the way waste is managed in the borough and make moves away from the heavy reliance on landfill. In order to have waste disposal arrangements in place from November 2012 when the contract with the current waste management contractors ends, the Council has considered the options available. These have been published in an expression of interest document (.pdf, 896kb). This sets out the council's position in the development of a long-term waste treatment solution that will meet the targets set in National Waste Strategy for England 2007 and meet LATS obligations.
Thank you for supporting recycling in Wigan Borough.
