What is the Dorset Waste Partnership?

The Dorset Waste Partnership (DWP) officially launched on 1 April 2011. It is currently responsible for running waste services on behalf of five of the seven Dorset councils.

Since April 2011, residents in Christchurch, East Dorset, North Dorset and Purbeck have had their refuse and recycling collections, plus street cleansing, run by the DWP.

West Dorset District Council and Weymouth and Portland Borough Council also transferred these services to the DWP in April 2013.

The household recycling centres, treatment and disposal of waste and waste reduction promotions across the county are also managed by the partnership.

The Dorset Waste Partnership Joint Committee (opens in a new window) , comprising of two councillors from each authority, oversees the delivery of waste and cleansing services by the DWP. Find details of Joint Committee meetings (opens in a new window) .

Dorset is one of the first county partnerships to deliver an in-house waste collection and cleansing service and is attracting national interest from other local authorities. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has also recognised the partnership's potential and has so far awarded more than £400,000 towards the set up of the DWP, demonstrating national confidence in its success.

The formation of the DWP followed the adoption by all seven councils of a new Joint Municipal Waste Management Strategy for Dorset in 2009, which guides the way waste will be managed in the county over the next 25 years.

Increased efficiency and reduced costs

By working together, we can provide high quality services more efficiently and cost-effectively, saving around £1.4m in 2011/12 for Dorset. The DWP is looking to make initial savings through:

Waste minimisation
Joint buying
Increasing trade waste in some areas
Sharing depots and vehicles
Cross boundary collections, e.g. residents living in East Dorset may sometimes have their waste collected by another district council's vehicle

The new 'recycle for Dorset' service

In January 2012 all of the partner councils in the DWP agreed to introduce a standardised, county-wide recycling and refuse collection service, called the 'recycle for Dorset' service.