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Waste Campaign |
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County Council confirms that no decision has been taken on the future of waste disposalPress release issued by Oxfordshire County Council, 5 April 2005Oxfordshire County Council has re-iterated that no decision has been taken on the future of waste disposal in the county. Along with many other authorities in the country Oxfordshire County Council is currently considering what should happen to waste that is not recycled. By 2020 the Government says that a total of 75% of waste will have to be diverted from landfill. Although the amount recycled or composted in Oxfordshire is higher than in most other areas of the country, at around 30%, and can increase even more, there will remain a gap between what can be recycled and what needs to be diverted from landfill. This gap must be met by some other kind of treatment for household rubbish but there are a broad range of technical options and no decision has been made between them. Richard Dudding, Oxfordshire County Council’s Director for Environment and Economy, said: "“Recycling and composting is essential in making the best use of our waste. Oxfordshire has made excellent progress and will achieve our statutory recycling target a year early. "There has been a tremendous response from or residents to make this possible. However we have tough targets to divert waste away from landfill, and recycling and composting alone will not achieve this. We need some other kind of treatment for the household rubbish that remains. “"A series of events were held last year to explain to the people of Oxfordshire what the treatment options are and to seek their views. We want to see an informed debate. We appreciate that people have strong views and may want to campaign in favour of one option or another. However we want firmly to restate that no decision has yet been taken by the county council for or against any of the options. "Around 30 per cent of waste is currently recycled or composted, one of the best records in the country. Continued improvement of these rates, together with new treatment capacity, will ensure that Oxfordshire has no problems in meeting the targets for avoiding waste going to landfill.’’" Oxfordshire County Council works with each of the district councils in the county to promote recycling and composting among residents.
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