West Sussex unique waste summit meeting

Two new waste sites are proposed in his constituency- at Laybrook brickworks near Thakeham, and Rock Common sandpit, Washington, while a third at Small Dole is seeking permission to extend operations, which should have ceased in 2004.

Representatives of the action groups for each site- Thakeham Village Action ,Chanctonbury Action Group and Small Dole Action Group all made presentations to the meeting.

Mr Herbert said: " I am concerned about the growth in the amount of waste and that more needs to be put into landfill sites locally. Why do we have so much landfill compared with other countries?" he asked.

He said that West Sussex put two thirds of its rubbish into landfill sites, compared to the Netherlands, where less than two per cent went into landfill sites and 60 per cent was recycled.

"Is it really right that we should have more lorry movements, more traffic and more despoiling of our West Sussex countryside to take waste from London? I am hostile to landfill. We should be doing everything possible to minimise it. Our nation is producing too much waste."

Key points which emerged from the meeting were:

*An urgent need to dramatically step up recycling

*Attempts must be made to minimise commercial and business waste and do something about packaging.

* While London waste is being forced on West Sussex by the government, the Mayor of London has set a target of achieving 85 self-sufficiency by 2015.

*There will be no incineration in West Sussex before 2015- but it could be considered after that.

* West Sussex still puts two thirds of its waste in landfill sites- Hampshire, which has adopted incineration, has a rate of only 16 per cent going in landfill sites.

*Horton Landfill site at Small Dole should have closed in 2004, and originally was a non-hazardous waste site. Operators want to extend operations to 2014 and hazardous waste such as asbestos has been taken there.

For full report see West Sussex Gazette March 12