Question

Taking account of the fact that Government Guidance (2005) on producing these plans includes the following three principles:

1) In taking decisions there should be consideration of alternative options in a systematic way

2) Engagement with the local community should be an important and integral part of the decision making process

3) Environmental impacts of possible options should be assessed looking at both the long and short term

Answer

Officers are aware of the Government Guidance on producing these plans and are following the principles.

In summary

• The analysis has been carried out in a systematic way-

• The joint Municipal Waste Management Strategy process will include a Strategic Environmental Assessment

• Consultation will take place in the context of the JMWMS and is planned for this spring.

• The Environmental impacts of the possible options have been assessed by the JMWMS technical advisers, and this evaluation was used to inform the Officer's advice to the executive.

Question

...and noting the following from the draft Action Plan:

That no information is presented on the expected composition of Surrey's residual

waste after 60% recycling and composting so it is not possible to assess which treatments would be most appropriate.

Answer

A residual waste treatment assessment report produced by the SLGA's Defa appointed technical adviser - has carried out an assessment that models the performance of each candidate residual waste treatment solution. This takes into account the likely impact of significant improvements to the "front end" recycling and composting on the residual waste. The residual waste composition of the residual waste is used to model performance of residual waste technologies.

Question...

That the Council produced a statement that incineration is its preferred technology for residual waste before the public consultation on the Waste Plan and before the sustainability appraisal was done

Answer

The County Council’s Waste Policy states..

"We are open to any feasible means of disposing of the residual waste our openness to consider the full range of waste technologies provided the motivation to undertake an exhaustive and independent analysis of the technology options open to us. The recommendations in this report have been informed by this analysis.

Question.

That we are not told who the Council is using as its various "technical" and "external" advisers other than Deloittes

Technical advisers utilized are:

Enviros, Entec UK Ltd., Eunomia, White Green Young.

Question

That we are told that one of the "main thrusts " of this strategy is the "imperative to achieve "buy-in "from SITA, a company whose core business is incinerators

Answer

The contract is a servant of the strategy not the other way round the proposal is to inform discussions and give direction to negotiations and discussions with the contractor. The contractor have indicated however that they believe the proposed solution to be deliverable and sensible.

Question

That the report glosses over problems with incineration and dwells on problems with

other technologies

Answer

The report deals with all major concerns regarding EFW (health, crowding out recycling, hazardous wastes). The problems with other technologies are described because they are viewed as significant and relevant.

Question

That the committee report does not offer any worked up cases that avoid incineration so an incinerator-free option cannot be assessed

Answer

A full range of candidate technologies have been assessed by SCC officers and the SLGA's technical advisers. These are described in the SLGA advisers report (residual waste treatment assessment) and are listed in Appendix 4 to the Executive report. The issues that have led to a short list of two potential solutions are described within the report.

Question

That it fails to take account of the impact of pursuing incineration on community support for minimization, recycling and composting, -

Answer

Absolutely refuted. The EFW element does not impact on pursuing community support for minimization recycling and composting. The entire integrated solution is predicated only high levels of waste minimization and recycling and composting. EFW is to deal with residual waste only.

Question

How can the public be confident that options that did not include incineration have been fully, fairly and accountably assessed and will the Council give consideration to including a worked up incinerator-free option at. this stage that meets statutory requirements, so that this option may be realistically assessed by all parties in the next stages of preparing a draft Joint Municipal Waste Management Strategy?

Answer

The technical reports, assessments will be made available and subjected to discussion in the ongoing Joint Municipal Waste management Strategy process. The residual waste treatment assessment report issued by the Defra appointed Technical advisers to the JMWMS process considers non-incinerator options. This JMWMS process will follow the relevant government guidance.