Public consultation to be held on city’s future waste strategy
02/12/08
The way in which Aberdeen deals with its rubbish is to be the subject of a public consultation.
Currently the city’s waste which is not sent for recycling goes to landfill. But the cost of ending waste to landfill is set to dramatically increase – by 2010/11 the landfill tax will double from the current cost to £48 per tonne, doubling the landfill tax bill to £4.8million. Failing to adhere to landfill limits could result in further penalties of £150 per tonne for exceeding the limit, and operating costs will increase by at least another £1million per annum.
The net impact of increased landfill costs means that other waste treatment options will be cost neutral in the near term, and less expensive within two to three years.
The amount of waste produced by the city is expected to increase year on year, so provision needs to be made.
The Policy and Strategy Committee has approved a plan to draw up a key themes consultation to produce a waste strategy which:
• is cost effective;
• delivers sustainable solutions;
• manages risk by ensuring local solutions are chosen wherever possible.
The initial consultation phase is to be based on the following key themes:
• That reductions in waste growth will be achieved, leading to waste reduction in the medium (five to seven years) term;
• That recycling and composting targets must be set that reflect Aberdeen’s circumstances and are challenging, but deliverable, rather than aspirational;
• That Aberdeen must gain value for all wastes, including residual or black bin waste;
• That the generation of heat and power from residual waste is compatible with the city’s status as energy capital of Europe and other energy-based policy themes;
• That the Aberdeen City Waste Strategy should incorporate consideration of business waste;
• That local solutions should be delivered where possible in order to manage risk and gain maximum benefit.
The underpinning principle of the key themes is that Aberdeen should seek to get something from nothing by gaining value from all of the waste it produces.
By not minimising waste production, maximising recycling and composting, and gaining value from residual waste through the production of energy, Aberdeen City Council would have to continue sending waste to landfill.
As well as the increased costs that would incur, there would also be an impact on transportation –- heavy goods vehicles would have to travel at least seven times the distance they currently cover to take waste to landfill.
The council would also miss out on the opportunity to provide more than 10,000 homes with low-cost heat on long-term fixed-price contracts by creating power from waste. This would build on Aberdeen City Council’s combined heat and power project which has already won major accolades, including top prize in the UK Housing Awards.
Continuing to send waste to landfill would also leave an unpleasant and expensive environmental legacy for future generations. Existing landfill sites could still be polluting the environment in 60 years time.
The committee instructed council officers to consult on the key themes. The consultation will be open to everyone, but there will be a particular emphasis on engaging key stakeholders, opinion-formers and individuals and groups known to be interested in waste management. That focused consultation will take place between December and January.
Once the key themes have been established, they will be used to develop a draft strategy document, which will establish targets for the various elements of an integrated waste management system.
The draft strategy will then be consulted on. That consultation will be wide-ranging and seek to engage with as wide a range of community groups and individuals as possible. That consultation is expected to begin in June.
If you have any queries regarding this, or any other news story, please contact Aberdeen City Council on: 01224 522000.
