Why is waste minimisation and recycling so
important in the Braintree District?
Residents and businesses in the Braintree District are producing
an increasing amount of waste each year. Although this is partly
due to the growth in population, the average waste produced per
household is also increasing. On average each household now
produces nearly 1 tonne of waste each year.
Most household refuse from the District is disposed of by
landfill at Stanway near Colchester. This refuse tip, like
others in the County is filling rapidly, raising serious
questions about how we should dispose of our refuse in the
future. Apart from a shortage of suitable holes for future
landfill in the area nobody wants a major refuse tip or incinerator
on their doorstep. A European Directive is also forcing us to
look differently at the way in which we deal with our waste to help
combat climate change. It requires biodegradable wastes such
as paper, card, kitchen and garden rubbish to be recycled, or
treated to make it inert before it can be landfilled.
Essex local authorities are working on a
joint strategy to deal with household
waste. This will concentrate on removing as much recycling
from the waste stream as possible through kerbside collections
and then treating the remaining refuse in an industrial process
called mechanical biological treatment. MBT will extract
even more recycling and produce an inert waste. A
consultation on the latest version of this strategy will be
launched in February 2008.
By working together and taking greater responsibility for our
waste, we can dramatically reduce the amount we produce. We need to
start by taking more responsibility for what we buy, avoiding
unnecessary packaging and choosing products that last longer and
are re-usable.
One way of reducing waste going to landfill is to recycle. In
the Braintree District we currently recycle about 36% of the
domestic waste we generate. Every property in the
District is served by a fortnightly collection of recycling, and
approximately three quarters of those also receive organic
waste collections.
Organic waste from gardens and kitchens has traditionally been
collected with household refuse. This waste can be composted at
home in the garden or taken away for composting in larger schemes.
Over a third of all our waste can be dealt with by composting. Look
out for special offers on Home Compost Bins and new schemes being
introduced to collect garden waste.
What about waste from businesses?
In addition to the domestic waste problem, our local businesses
generate large amounts of waste. By working with businesses to
reduce their waste the Council can help local industry become more
competitive.