Lib Dems Endorse Zero Waste

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Tue 23rd Sep 2003

Cllr Roger Symonds moving the motion

Bath Councillor Roger Symonds moved a motion to the Liberal Democrat Conference in Brighton calling on the party to set a target of reaching 'Zero Waste' for all municipal waste by 2020 (60% recycling by 2010, 75% by 2015).

The motion also calls for increased recycling, and banning the landfilling of organic waste that has not been treated and neutralised, thereby reducing the amount of methane released in to the atmosphere.

The motion was passed as party policy, and can be read in full below.

Before going to conference, the motion was available for on-line consultation with members - our first on-line consultation locally.

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Motion to Liberal Democrat Conference in Brighton in September 2003 - Zero Waste

Conference condemns the Labour Government for failing to provide the range of measures needed to encourage sustainable solutions for the treatment and disposal of waste.

Conference notes that this failure has contributed to most local authorities in the UK being unlikely to meet the targets for recycling of waste set in the Government's National Waste Strategy 2000.

Conference notes that in the Government's response (May 2003), to its Strategy Unit's review of the Waste Strategy 2000, new funding is offered from increased Landfill Tax, but that this funding is likely to be too little and too late to enable local authorities to achieve their statutory recycling targets.

Conference notes the launch of the Zero Waste Charter at Westminster on 18th June 2002.

Conference affirms the 60% recycling by 2010 target set by the Liberal Democrats in 2000, as an interim target, adds the long-term goal of Zero Waste and commends Liberal Democrat councils that have adopted Zero Waste principles.

Conference adopts the following aims based on the Zero Waste Charter:

1. Setting a target of Zero Waste for all municipal waste in the UK by 2020 (60% recycling by 2010, 75% by 2015).

2. Promoting the doorstep collection of dry recyclables to every home in the UK without delay.

3. Supplementing home composting with doorstep collection of organic waste, subject to appropriate safeguards against contamination, and establishing a network of local closed vessel compost plants.

4. Developing civic amenity sites into re-use and recycling centres to give greater emphasis to recycling and composting.

5. Banning as soon as possible the landfilling of organic waste that has not been treated and neutralised, thereby reducing the production of methane.

6. Ending thermal treatment of mixed waste and limiting disposal contracts to a maximum of ten years.

7. Reforming the Landfill Tax on a revenue neutral basis into a broader Waste Tax, to remove the incentives for incineration and other unsustainable waste disposal options.

8. Extending Producer Responsibility legislation to all products and materials that are hazardous or difficult to recycle

9. Opening up waste planning to greater public participation and ending the commercial confidentiality of waste contracts to ensure greater openness and accountability.

10. When the English Regional Assemblies are established on a democratic basis, giving them powers to promote resource efficiency and act as a guardian of public health, to ensure the practical development and application of a Zero Waste Strategy.