Joint Municipal Waste Management Strategy for Dorset

Everyone produces rubbish.

We are doing well in Dorset – our recycling rate has increased from 27% in 2003 to 48% in 2008/09 and each year we have sent less waste to landfill.

How we deal with our waste now and in years to come is still a significant challenge and the new strategy outlines how  councils in Dorset will meet this challenge.

Dorset councils worked together to review their existing Municipal Waste Management Strategy 2003to produce a new Joint Municipal Waste Management Strategy for Dorset (pdf, 678kb) (opens in a new window) .   Views from residents, which were collated during an extensive public consultation exercise, were used to help develop the new strategy. A summary leaflet (pdf, 245kb) (opens in a new window)  is also available.

• Why has a new waste strategy been produced?

  The last joint waste management strategy was produced in 2003 and was scheduled for review after five years. As a result a review was carried out in 2008 and this has led to a new strategy to guide the way we deal with waste over the next 25 years.

• Reduce, reuse and recycle

  The strategy follows the waste hierarchy - reduce, reuse, recycle, recover and dispose as a last resort.

• Technologies and definitions

  After reducing, reusing, recycling and composting, we will make the best possible use of the remaining waste by turning it into energy or other products. It will be our last resort to landfill untreated waste.

• Waste strategy and background reports - downloads

  The Joint Waste Management Strategy for Dorset and accompanying background reports available for download.

• Background information - downloads

• Public involvement with the waste strategy

  The public were involved in producing the new waste strategy during a public consultation period that ran from 4 August 2008 to 7 November 2008.

• Frequently asked questions about the waste strategy

  A list of frequently asked questions about the waste strategy.

• Assessment criteria

  The draft strategy proposes keeping our options open over the technology we choose to deal with leftover waste in the future, in view of the rapid changes taking place in the waste situation.

• Municipal Waste Management Strategy 2003

  In 2003 Dorset councils published a joint Municipal Waste Management Strategy which set the framework for dealing with waste.

• Policy objectives

  The waste strategy has ten objectives, each has an action plan to make sure that it happens.