Under the new system of Development Plans introduced by the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, the County Council has to prepare Minerals and Waste Development Frameworks (MWDF).  These replace the existing Minerals and Waste Local Plans, and set out how the County Council will plan for the future provision of minerals and how facilities for the management of waste produced in the County will be catered for.  The waste framework is being prepared jointly with Leicester City Council.  

Leicestershire is rapidly running out of landfill capacity and this combined with European, National and Regional drivers that seek more sustainable ways of managing waste, places a key responsibility on the County Council to facilitate the provision of the right type of waste management facility in the right location and at the right time.

In 2003/04 around 4Mt of waste was produced in Leicestershire, and this figure is expected to rise.  Municipal (household, civic amenity and some commercial) waste accounts for about 14% of the total waste arising and this is predicted to rise at an average yearly rate of 2%.  Recycling rates for the same period were in the order of 18% for municipal waste, 30% for commercial and industrial waste and 50% for construction and demolition waste.  The remainder of the waste was landfilled in Leicestershire and exported to sites in Warwickshire, Northamptonshire and Lincolnshire.

The range of existing waste management sites within the Waste Framework area include: a materials recycling facility at Whetstone; a sorting and transfer station at Melton; a mechanical biological treatment facility at Bursom; an anaerobic digestion facility at Wanlip; 7 composting sites; around 40 transfer stations; 32 construction and demolition recycling site; over 40 scrap metal sites; 60 sewage treatment sites;16 household waste recycling centres; 3 non-hazardous waste landfill sites; and several inert waste landfill sites.  However, sites for new facilities will be required and a key aim of the Waste Framework will be to identify suitable locations for these facilities.

The Council adopted the Waste Core Strategy and Development Control Policies document on 8th October 2009.  The adopted documents can be viewed via the following link - Adopted Development Plan Documents.  Work began on the allocation of waste sites but this document has since been withdrawn; more information can be found via this link - Waste Site Allocations.

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