A desperate need to deal with rubbish

The authority stressed that 80% of the county's household waste was taken to a Worcestershire landfill site.

The remaining 20% was either recycled or composted, with most of the portion recycled being processed outside of Herefordshire.

It meant virtually all household waste was taken outside of the county to be either buried, recycled or composted.

Herefordshire was the only waste disposal authority in the West Midlands to neither dispose nor treat any of its waste within the county.

Councillor Phil Edwards, Herefordshire Council's cabinet member for the environment, said: "We're compelled by Government legislation to divert waste from landfill. By 2010 local authorities must have reduced the amount of biodegradable waste going to landfill sites to 75% of that produced in 1995.

"This is an increasing target and by 2020 we must reduce the amount of biodegradable waste going to landfill to 35% of that produced in 1995.

"It is absolutely clear that these targets cannot be met by recycling alone."

Herefordshire and Worcestershire councils were party to a long-term contract with a contractor who submitted a planning application for an incinerator in Kidderminster to handle waste - but the approach was rejected through the planning process.

"The reality of the situation is that Herefordshire has to explore other ways of disposing of its waste," said Coun Edwards.

"Prior to the process proposed by Estech, the options in terms of proven technology were really limited to three - combustion incineration for 'energy from waste', some form of composting, landfill.

"Landfill is not an option in Herefordshire as there are no suitable sites and, in any case, it will not meet landfill diversion targets. The other two options are feasible."

He said it was absolutely clear that Herefordshire had to take responsibility for the disposal of its own waste and had to find solutions within the county.