We in the West of England area have very few facilities for dealing with residual waste - the left over rubbish which cannot be re-used, recycled or composted.  Currently this is sent to landfill sites elsewhere in the country - wasting a potential resource and damaging the environment. European laws will soon impose heavy fines on councils who send too much biodegradeable waste to landfill.

For the last three years we have been working together to find the best ways of reducing the amount of rubbish, increasing the amount which is recycled and finding ways to divert waste from landfill.   We have consulted with the public (in the ‘Rubbish or Resource?’ Issues and Options consultation held in 2007) and have sought expert help from specialists in the industry.  We have also looked at what other councils do and at how waste is managed in other parts of the world.