Waste leadership for local authorities

Local authorities are responsible for how waste is managed in their areas.

In addition to complying with regulations, taking action on waste will contribute to waste and climate change targets and priorities agreed with central government. Biodegradable waste must be diverted from landfill to avoid financial penalties. To help achieve this, more waste facilities are required to process the materials residents want to recycle while storage and collection need to be made as easy as possible.

How can local authorities lead on waste?

Apply the waste hierarchy through spatial planning to move away from waste disposal towards reducing the amount of waste that is produced.

Find and allocate sites to accommodate new waste management facilities.

Maintain high quality design standards for new waste management facilities.

Create waste development plan documents to stimulate behaviour change, raise awareness and ensure that facilities for the segregation and storage of waste are included in all new developments.

Prepare municipal waste management strategies.

Procure contracts to collect and manage waste from households, street sweepings, municipal parks and gardens.

Ensure reducing energy use is at the heart of the waste collection strategy.

Help local businesses, community groups and households reduce and recycle waste.

Stimulate and utilise markets for recycled materials.

Use established recycling networks like Freecycle, the SOFA Project and London Remade.

Support energy and heat production from the biomass content of waste treated in gasification, pyrolysis, anaerobic digestion and good quality combined heat and power plants, helping to meet renewables obligations for electricity supply.