Environment and roads

Recycling and rubbish

Household waste is collected by district and borough councils. It is then disposed of by the county council, who also run Household Waste Recycling Centres.

To make sure that these functions are well co-ordinated, we work together closely through the Hertfordshire Waste Partnership.

For more information on waste collections and recycling, go to www.wasteaware.org.uk

The challenge for the county council

Last year, residents in Hertfordshire produced more than half a million tonnes of household waste, 60% of which was landfilled, mostly outside the county. Household waste makes up only about a quarter of the total waste produced in Hertfordshire – on top of this is commercial, industrial, construction, demolition and other forms of waste.

The county council has two separate responsibilities for waste.

Waste disposal

The county council, as Waste Disposal Authority, is responsible for finding ways to dispose of the 600,000 tonnes of household waste Hertfordshire’s residents produce each year. The Hertfordshire Waste Partnership has developed a Joint Municipal Waste Management Strategy that sets out policies for how we will do this. At the heart of the strategy is the principle: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

We want to

• Reduce the amount of waste we all produce
• Reuse as much of the material as possible
• Recycle materials that cannot be reused

before responsibly disposing of whatever is left.

However effective we are in reducing, reusing and recycling waste, there will always be some material left over. The strategy commits us to moving away from a reliance on landfill for waste that cannot be reused or recycled.

Why do we have to change?
We have to move away from putting waste in landfill sites. Suitable landfill space is running out, it is harmful to the environment and it is costing more and more money to dispose of waste in this way.

The Government and European Union are putting increasing pressure on local authorities to reduce the amount of waste being sent to landfill and significant financial penalties will be incurred unless alternative, local solutions are found.

Our first priority is to continue to tackle the amount of waste we produce and to reuse and recycle as much as possible. But we also need to look for alternative waste disposal and treatment facilities - otherwise we could face millions of pounds in extra costs, which would have a big impact on council tax bills and services.

For more information on the alternatives to landfill, click on the link below.