The Welsh Assembly Government has announced the publication of its consultation document for its new waste strategy, covering the period 2009–2050.

The document, entitled Towards Zero Waste, proposes to build on the current Welsh Waste Strategy (Wise About Waste), and is produced in line with the Assembly Government’s commitment to reduce the Welsh ecological footprint and impact on climate change.  The proposals aim to take a 'zero waste' approach, meaning producing items with careful design that allow full recycling or re-use.

The Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM) has already welcomed the publication of the document, but points out that its deliverability will depend on detailed polices and plans yet to be formulated.

The scope is certainly ambitious, and shows the Assembly Governments commitment to leading the field in the area of waste.  Its full impact on business and local authority budgets will, however, be a cause for concern.

The consultation documents can be found here.

The proposals will be discussed in detail at the forthcoming Futuresource conference, more details of which can be found here.