Environment

Defra has issued new guidance to help local authorities, architects and construction firms design and build high quality and locally appropriate waste management facilities.

The guidance, produced by Defra in partnership with the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE), is aimed at all bodies involved in developing and building waste facilities, offering various approaches to design.

Environment minister Jane Kennedy said: "We are committed to making a big effort to reduce waste and improve our recycling ability. To do that Britain needs new infrastructure for the better management of waste. New infrastructure will only be built if local communities are happy and this means the best possible design must be applied to win that all important public endorsement. I hope this new guidance will help achieve that aim."

The guidance covers the various types of waste facilities, from small community and municipal sites such as compost units on estates to larger sites such as combined heat and power facilities, and outlines key design principles, the design process, best practice in design and how best to consult the public.

The guidance has been partly created by waste management professionals from a wide range of organisations in the public and private sectors, including Department for Communities, Local Government, Chartered Institute of Waste Management, the Environmental Services Association, Wrap, the National Association of Waste Disposal Officers, the Environment Agency and the Greater London Assembly.

The guide is available on the Defra website.