Greater Manchester’s waste plans approved

GREATER Manchester’s plans for minimising and managing its waste streams can be formally adopted after gaining approval from the Planning Inspectorate.

The Joint Waste Development Plan Document, which was jointly prepared by the ten Greater Manchester authorities, has been found to be ‘sound in terms of content and process’.

The document identifies locations for future waste management facilities and a suite of waste planning policies. It allocates seven sites and identifies a further 26 areas within Greater Manchester as being suitable for future waste development.

The ten councils estimate that developing the plan jointly has saved them around £8m.

Cllr Derek Antrobus, chair of the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities’ (AGMA) Joint Waste Planning Committee, said: “We believe we have put forward a plan that assumes we minimise the amount of waste produced, maximise recycling and deal with what cannot be recycled in the most sustainable way.

“The encouragement we give to new technologies should ensure waste disposal is cleaner, greener and safer. It will also encourage new ‘green collar’ jobs.”