BRAINTREE Council has agreed to increase the recycling target for the district to 75 per cent by the year 2030 in efforts to go greener.

It comes after the Green & Independent Group tabled the motion noting a significant proportion of waste is still being sent to landfill or incineration.

The authority currently has a recycling target of 60 per cent, with its actual recycling rate currently just over 50 per cent.

The motion said: “In adopting this policy council recognises the challenge of such an ambition.

“Before engaging with external partners, the council will determine what specific viable and costed proposals it should put forward for discussion.

“To decide such proposals council agrees to establish a cross party working group to bring forward, once relevant regulations and statutory guidance has been issued, any viable and costed proposals for consideration by Full Council.”

Green councillor for Cressing and Silver End James Abbott, said: “We are looking at it more in the perspective of encouraging people and incentivising and positive measures but also looking ahead to society where hopefully, and this is where the direction is, there is less non-recyclable material.

“This is not just something the council is going to have to do, or residents have to do. But we think there are things that can be done to make recycling easier and improve ways of doing things.”

The motion comes amid Essex County Council’s current policy of sending all black bag municipal waste to landfill after the failure of Tovi Eco Park in Basildon which was used by councils across Essex to reduce the amount of household waste sent to landfill.

It has now formally launched a tender for an initial seven-year deal worth £62 million per year for the disposal of 350,000 tonnes of residual waste per year.

That waste deal also comes against the backdrop of the 595,000 tonne capacity Rivenhall energy from waste (EfW) facility which is expected to begin commissioning in early 2025 and be fully operational by the end of the same year.

Essex County Council waste boss Malcolm Buckley said at full council that after 2030 there should be no waste going to landfill.

He added: “In the long term the Essex waste strategy which we are working on and which will be going out to consultation sometime next year is looking for a permanent solution by which we mean post 2050.”