'97 Update

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Waste

Introduction

Waste is a major problem in Hertfordshire as it is in every other county. Almost all of our waste is disposed of in landfill sites but these sites are running out of space and fewer are being created. In fact, in Hertfordshire we will run out of landfill space by early next century. The County Council has policies set up to assess sites for incineration, but none have been agreed upon as yet.

Indicator 1: Household waste production per capita & Indicator 2: Waste produced per household for 1996/97

We measure the amount of household waste produced per capita by adding together what is collected by the ten district/borough councils, what is received at the Household Waste Sites and what is taken out of the system for recycling by the district/borough councils. This total is then divided by the population of Hertfordshire.

Another approach is to divide the total amount of waste by the number of households in Hertfordshire, which demonstrates how much waste is produced per household. This may in fact prove to be a more effective indicator in our changing living environment. This years average waste per capita for the county has risen by 4.1% and average waste per household has fallen by 2.3%. This is due to the creation of more houses and smaller households in the County.

Indicator 3: Percentage of waste recycled from total measured household waste.

Recycling is an important element of any waste management strategy in that it has the benefit of reducing the amount of waste requiring disposal by landfill. There is evidence that the percentage of waste being recycled within Hertfordshire is increasing with the chart showing in percentage terms the progress being made.

The percentages shown are calculated on the basis of the quantities of household waste recycled by the district/borough councils and various voluntary groups for which Recycling Credits have been paid, together with that recycled at the County Councils Household Waste Sites.

PERCENTAGE OF HOUSEHOLD WASTE RECYCLED BY PERCENTAGE

The effect of waste minimisation initiatives, such as home composting, are not shown as there is no reliable way of accurately measuring the quantities achieved, but they too are very important in that they reduce the amount of waste needing to be disposed of.

WasteAware is a recent initiative by Hertfordshire County Council and local district/borough councils to address the 'mountain of waste' issue. The campaign aims to make people aware of the issues surrounding waste and the environmental impact of waste disposal and promoting the Waste Hierarchy: to Reduce, Reuse and then Recycle our waste.

• reducing the amount of waste we produce
• making the best use of what waste is produced
• choosing waste management practices which minimise the risks of immediate and future environmental pollution and harm to health.

Other Initiatives:

Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 1997 requiring all producers of waste to register with the government by August 1998 and to recover 50% of their waste packaging waste by 2001.

For further information contact:

Ray Greenall, Hertfordshire County Council Environment Department (01992) 55616