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| Chapter 14 |
| WASTE MANAGEMENT POLICIES |
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| Introduction |
| Waste policy has evolved at a rapid rate in recent years and the approach to waste management is now considerably different to that taken in the first Wigan UDP. It is now generally accepted, at the national level, that we cannot continue to rely on landfill as the principal means of waste disposal, as we have done in the past. The Government’s policy on waste management is set out in Waste Strategy 2000, fundamental to which is the need to curb the growth in the quantity of waste produced. The Government wishes to see future waste management decisions based on consideration of the Best Practicable Environmental Option for each waste stream. In determining the BPEO, consideration should be given to: |
- The waste hierarchy (i.e. that the following options are in descending order of preference: waste reduction; re-use of waste; recovery of waste; and waste disposal to landfill);
- The proximity principle (i.e. that waste should generally be managed as near as possible to its place of production);
- Self-sufficiency (i.e. that most waste should be treated or disposed of within the region in which it is produced).
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| More particularly, the Council, as Waste Planning Authority, will have regard to the advice in PPG 10 on “Planning and Waste Management” and the emerging regional waste strategy as currently set out in the Regional Waste Strategy for the North West (21 July 2003.) The latter document takes account of the work of the Regional Technical Advisory Body. |
| Although no specific sites for waste management facilities are identified in the Plan, criteria-based policies are provided for the assessment of such site-specific proposals and to control the operation and restoration of waste management sites. As with the Minerals Policies, the Waste Management Policies of the UDP have been reviewed to cut out unnecessary repetition and cross-referencing and it is not therefore possible to consider waste management in isolation from the other policies of the Plan. The Plan should therefore be read as a whole and all other relevant policies considered in relation to particular proposals. |
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| WM1 WASTE MANAGEMENT |
| THE COUNCIL WILL APPROVE APPLICATIONS FOR WASTE MANAGEMENT FACILITIES IN APPROPRIATE LOCATIONS WHICH ARE THE BEST PRACTICABLE ENVIRONMENTAL OPTION FOR THAT WASTE STREAM. DECISIONS WILL BE CONSISTENT WITH THE FOLLOWING HIERARCHY OF WASTE MANAGEMENT OPTIONS, IN WHICH (1) IS THE MOST PREFERRED AND (4). IS THE LEAST PREFERRED:- |
| (1) |
WASTE REDUCTION; |
| (2) |
RE-USE OF WASTE; |
| (3) |
RECOVERY OF WASTE (RECYCLING, COMPOSTING OR ENERGY RECOVERY); |
| (4) |
WASTE DISPOSAL TO LANDFILL. |
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| This policy is intended to set the broad policy framework for the other waste management policies of the Plan which will guide the provision of waste management facilities for the Borough. It is consistent with Government planning policy on sustainable waste management as set out in PPG10 and concerns an approach which aims to balance environmental protection with satisfying the needs and demands of the Borough for effective and efficient waste management. It is also in accord with Waste Strategy 2000 which sets out the Government’s current policy on waste management and itself, incorporates the objectives of the EC Framework Directive on Waste and the Landfill Directive. Accordingly, future waste management decisions will be based on the consideration of the Best Practicable Environmental Option (BPEO) for each waste stream which is defined by the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution as a procedure which “….establishes, for a given set of objectives, the option that provides the most benefits or least damage to the environment, as a whole, at acceptable cost, in the long term as well as in the short term.” |
| The assessment of BPEO requires consideration of the waste hierarchy, the proximity principle (i.e. that waste should be managed as near as possible to its place of production) and the principle of self-sufficiency (i.e. that most waste should be treated or disposed of within the region in which it is produced). |
| Wherever possible, policies in this Plan dealing with housing require facilities for the separation and storage of different waste types to facilitate its re-use or recovery. |
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| WM1A Waste Management Facilities |
| Proposals for the development of waste management facilities must comply with the following criteria:- |
| (a) |
There is a clearly established need for the development which outweighs any adverse environmental or other impact that it would be likely to cause; |
| (b) |
It will not have an unacceptable effect on land drainage and water supply and will not cause groundwater or surface water pollution; |
| (c) |
Where feasible, rail or water transport links are provided so as to minimise the use of road transport; |
| (d) |
It deals with waste as close as possible to where it is generated so as to minimise travel distances, traffic generation and pollution; |
| (e) |
In exceptional circumstances the Council will require that waste management applications be accompanied by a bond or other financial guarantee to cover the cost of site restoration and after-care; |
| (f) |
Other relevant environmental information is provided, particularly where an Environmental Impact Assessment is required. |
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| It has not proved practicable to identify specific sites for the location of waste management facilities in the Borough. Proposals for the development of such facilities will therefore be judged against the relevant policies of the Plan and the criteria listed in this policy. |
| In line with the Government’s Waste Strategy 2000, the reliance on landfilling as the principal means of waste disposal is to be reduced and alternative means of waste management encouraged. However, landfill will continue to be required for residual wastes and to allow for the time that is likely to be needed to implement waste management options higher up the waste hierarchy. |
| The deposit of a bond or other form of financial guarantee with the Council is intended to indemnify against the situation where an operator goes out of business before restoration of a waste disposal site has been completed. It is particularly relevant to land filling and land raising operations and may be required to secure the restoration of the whole of a site or to ensure that restoration is carried out beyond the minimum standards likely to be achieved through the financial provisions of the Waste Management Licensing regime. |
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| WM1B Operation and Restoration of Waste Management Facilities |
| Applications for Waste Management Facilities of a temporary nature will not be approved unless they include satisfactory schemes to provide:- |
| (a) |
For screening, landscaping and restoration (preferably with phased working and restoration in appropriate cases); |
| (b) |
For aftercare in the case of restoration to agriculture, forestry or amenity use, including nature conservation; |
| In exceptional circumstances the Council will require the submission of a financial guarantee or bond to cover the cost of site restoration and after care. |
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| Waste management of any sort tends to be a necessary but unpopular activity, particularly in built-up areas, due to the problems associated with such activities. This policy lays down the main schemes of mitigation that will need to be submitted with applications to enable the Council to make sure that sites are operated and restored in such a way as to minimise the external effects. |
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| WM1C Control of Waste Management Facilities |
| Where waste management is acceptable in principle, the Council will, as appropriate:- |
| (a) |
Limit the period of operations; |
| (b) |
Control levels of noise and vibration; |
| (c) |
Control hours of working and maintenance; |
| (d) |
Ensure satisfactory access to the site; |
| (e) |
Limit the impact of polluted water and windblown materials; |
| (f) |
Limit the visual impact of the development; |
| (g) |
Ensure that the site is satisfactorily restored and maintained. |
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| However well-located a waste management site may be, it is still important to control the standards and methods of working and restoration and the impact of traffic generated by the site. This policy specifies the actual aspects of the operation which the Council will seek to control in considering the details of an application, the conditions to be imposed on any permission and the matters which may be subject to legal agreements. |
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