Household Waste Management Strategy 2017-2027

Wiltshire is a thriving county with a strong community spirit. The council's vision set out in the business plan is to create strong communities in Wiltshire. This will be at the heart of the vision for the household waste management strategy. The waste strategy is an aspirational strategy which acknowledges the challenges faced by the council's waste management service whilst exploring new approaches and opportunities for managing Wiltshire's household waste over the next 10 years and beyond.

Our vision for Wiltshire's Household Waste Management Strategy 2017-2027 is working towards zero avoidable household waste in Wiltshire.

This vision cannot be achieved by action from the council alone. In line with the council's business plan, it is essential that we work collaboratively with national, regional and local groups as well as our communities. Avoidable in this context means when a reusable or recyclable alternative could have been used instead, the household waste could have been reused or recycled, or when it could have been composted or biodegraded in the open environment.

The waste and recycling which we collect derives from the choices that residents make at home. We will work with residents to encourage them to take responsibility for managing their waste. The council must support local people so they feel informed and empowered to tackle local environmental issues within their neighbourhoods. The strategy will focus on delivering the business plan goal to achieve high recycling rates and reduce litter.

The council has a statutory duty to collect and manage waste produced by those resident within the council's administrative area and we will continue to offer a wide range of waste and recycling services for residents to access. We need to work with partners and residents in Wiltshire to help people to reduce the waste they produce. Where it is not possible to prevent waste being created, we will work with residents to encourage them to reuse and repair as much waste as possible. Wherever possible waste should be separated for recycling if it cannot be reused or repaired and it has reached the end of its life. In line with the waste hierarchy, it is the council's view that energy should be recovered from waste should it not be recycled or reused. Landfilling of waste is the least environmentally preferred option and should be further reduced to a minimum in Wiltshire.

For a full copy please email wasteandrecycling@wiltshire.gov.uk (opens new window)to request this.