Whether you're an Essex resident, company or business, the amount of waste we all produce is having an impact on Essex's environment.

The County Council is shortly to consult on a planning document to deliver sustainable waste management throughout Essex by helping to:

• promote the waste hierarchy which seeks firstly to reduce, then reuse, recycle, use waste as a resource (energy recovery) and finally only disposing of waste as a last resort;
• encourage communities to take responsibility for their own waste;
• manage waste without endangering human health or the environment;
• ensure waste transportation distances are minimised;
• take all interests, including community and business interests, into account, and;
• make sure that sustainable waste management opportunities are secured through good design and layout.

The Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 has introduced changes to the planning system, including the requirement for the existing Waste Local Plan to be replaced by the Essex Waste Development Document (WDD). The WDD will be comprised of:

• Main Waste Development Document; Comprising A Core Strategy and Development Management policies and Strategic Sites will set out the guiding principles for waste management in Essex and will establish detailed policies against which planning applications for waste development in the County will be assessed and preferred strategic sites for Waste Management & disposal, central to delivering the strategy.
• Non Strategic Waste Allocations to identify non strategic sites and safeguarding waste facilities, which need to be identified in addition to the strategic sites.
• A Proposals Map containing specific geographically based sites or policies.
• A Sustainability Appraisal (out to consultation between the 5 March  and 9 April 2010) Looking at the impacts of the emerging WDDs in the context of the local, national and global environment, economy and society.

The existing Essex and Southend-on-Sea Waste Local Plan (WLP) was adopted in 2001 and is relatively up to date. It is site specific and includes specific development control policies. It is aimed at moving waste disposal in the County away from landfill in accordance with Government targets. The County Council’s draft Municipal Waste Management Strategy has been devised around the policies and sites within the WLP under which delivery of waste management facilities in line with Government requirements can be achieved.

Additionally, new Government and regional policies on waste issues have been produced or are emerging. The Waste Development Document will be informed by emerging or existing waste guidance, policies and strategies from both the national and regional level.

Waste Development Document: the production process

The WDD will go through several  key stages during its production; an Issues and Options stage, a Preferred Approach stage and a Draft Submission Stage and a Submission Document. At each of these stages there will be opportunity for the any interested parties, including the public, to influence the content of the document.

The Issues and Options Stage: The Issues and Options paper will seek views on a range of planning issues and will present alternative ways these issues could be addressed. The public and other key stakeholders, including businesses, organisations and community interest groups, will have the opportunity to respond to a consultation.

Become Involved

A key objective of the new planning system is to strengthen community involvement. The Council's Statement of Community Involvement (SCI) sets out how Essex communities will be engaged in the production of the Waste Development Document.

If you are interested in being kept informed and would like the opportunity to be involved in the future of how all of Essex’s waste is managed, please contact us in the following ways or by filling in the online form with your name, address, email address and how you would like to be contacted.

E-mail: mineralsandwastepolicy@essexcc.gov.uk

Telephone: 01245 435555

Fax: 01245 493474

Or post:

Essex County Council,
Environment and Commerce,
Minerals and Waste Planning,
E3 County Hall,
Chelmsford
CM1 1QH.