GMWDA Releases Annual Report 2007/08
The Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority (GMWDA) today released its Annual Report for 2007/08, the report reviews performance for the year highlighting the key challenges facing the authority for 2008/09. The GMWDA continued to deliver its key objectives, improve its performance, and has worked with the districts of Greater Manchester to improve recycling rates. This has helped increase recycling rates from 7% in 2002/03 to almost 30% for 2007/08.
GMWDA signed up to the Nottingham Declaration on Climate Change and has instigated a member led Climate Change working group in order to look at what the authority is currently doing to take action against Climate Change, and what more can be done. An action plan will show how the implementation of the Authority’s Waste Strategy will make a significant beneficial contribution to Climate Change in the Sub region.
Greater Manchester Waste Limited has continued to enhance performance across the Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC) network, such that the recycling and composting rate in 2007/08 was 47%. The Authority has worked with Greater Manchester Waste to ensure that new schemes and initiatives are progressed in the run up to the commencement of the PFI contract.
GMWDA has made progress towards the 25-year waste management PFI contract, in January 2007 Viridor/Laing were appointed as the preferred bidder to provide a world-class solution to Greater Manchester’s waste.
GMWDA has recruited new staff in key areas, and has progressed in keeping its stakeholders involved and informed. Earlier this year GMWDA produced a householder Leaflet, the leaflet was distributed to households in the nine districts of Bury, Bolton, Manchester City, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Trafford and Tameside. The leaflet showed residents how GMWDA are working towards making Greater Manchester ‘A cleaner greener place to be’ and how as a waste management organisation they are doing their bit and how residents can do their bit. The leaflet communicated the benefits of the state-of-the art-facilities, new investment and jobs and how they will reduce the impact on our shared environment. As well as producing the leaflet GMWDA have communicated their strategy using a variety of other formats including stakeholder briefings, public exhibitions and councillor information packs and presentations and these have been very well received.
Councillor Neil Swannick, Chair of GMWDA commented “I am delighted to see excellent continuous improvements in the GMWDA’s performance over the last 12 months, and we are looking forward to progressing further in the current year. There has been a vast amount of work completed by GMWDA, and we are hoping to capitalise on this and work towards achieving our key objectives in 2008/09. We are looking forward to signing the 25-year waste management contract, and improving Household Waste Recycling Centres to encourage residents to recycle more.
NOTES FOR EDITORS
GMWDA is the largest of six English waste disposal authorities that were created under the Local Government Act 1985. GMWDA provides waste disposal services for over 958,000 households in Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside and Trafford. It handles around 5% of national municipal waste.
The Authority is in the later stages of a procurement of a 25-year waste services contract using the Private Finance Initiative (PFI). In January 2007 the Authority appointed the Viridor/Laing consortia as its Preferred Bidder. The Authority has subsequently provided details of the emerging technical solution and new infrastructure (see Press Related Press Releases at: www.gmwda.gov.uk).
For further information please call Pamela Taylor, Communications Support Officer on 0161 770 1722.