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Have Your Say On Poole's Waste Plan

People in Poole are being invited to have their say about a new plan that sets out how the borough can further improve the way it deals with waste up to 2020.

A series of roadshows are being staged across Poole so residents can find out more about the plan and give their views.

The draft Waste Strategy Review has been produced by Borough of Poole and will help to guide Poole's efforts to reduce and recycle more of its waste.

Recycling in Poole has more than doubled over the past four years, and with the overall recycling rate above 39 per cent, the borough is on target to achieve the Government target of 40 per cent by 2010.

The draft strategy aims to build on the success of initiatives such as Poole's popular Blue Bin scheme with the goal of recycling at least half of the borough's household waste by 2020.

One of the strategy's priorities is to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill. Currently, Poole sends more than 47,000 tonnes of waste to landfill each year, at a cost of more than £60 per tonne.

The Government has set local councils a target of reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill by 65 per cent by 2020 (based on 1995 levels). Councils face heavy financial penalties for failing to meet waste targets.

Cllr Don Collier, Cabinet Portfolio Holder for the Environment, Borough of Poole, said: "Poole residents have done fantastically well to more than double our recycling rates in recent years. The Blue Bin scheme and other initiatives have proved very popular and we want to build on these successes so we can reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill even further.

"Waste, and how we deal with it, has an impact on us all. I hope as many people as possible come along to our roadshows and have their say on the plans for how to manage the waste we all produce in the years ahead."

The Waste Strategy Review roadshows start on Thursday, September 11 in the High Street, Poole. Copies of the strategy document and a questionnaire will also be available at libraries and council offices.

Other confirmed dates for roadshows include:

• Poole Quay - September 14
• ASDA Poole - September 15, 3pm to 6pm; September 26, 10am to 12pm.
• ASDA Canford Heath - September 16, 3pm to 6pm; September 18, 10am to 12pm.
• Sainsbury's Alder Road - September 16, 10am to 12pm; September 18, 3pm to 6pm.
• Sainsbury's Pitwines - September 17, 3pm to 6pm; September 19, 10am to 12pm.

Further roadshows are planned for October and November.