COUNCILLORS have been told tackling costs associated with waste has to be a priority if Essex County Council is going to bridge "mind-boggling" funding gaps.

The authority has anticipated that the gap between budget and planned expenditure will exceed £150 million by the 2026/27 financial year. Plans for a whole council transformation are being put in place to help meet this.

The council has added that since 2008, successive waves of transformation activity have enabled the council to deliver effective services for residents and secure positive outcomes for communities, in the face of savings in excess of £750 million.

It says now however unprecedented levels of demand on services along with increasing pressures to deliver agreed services within constrained funding Essex must respond by transforming the way it operates to save £100 million by 2028.

Cllr Mike Mackrory, leader of the Lib Dem group at Essex County Council said: "To use that most overused wording, it will be challenging to save £100 million by 2028 when you are looking at projected shortfall of at least £150 million in 2026/27. Clearly, there is a big difference in those two numbers.

"There are eye-watering sums it is mind-boggling to think how on earth those savings can be realised."

He said the council must focus attention on cutting costs around waste disposal. The current cost of collecting, treating, and disposing of the waste generated by Essex households is over £130 million per year.

Essex County Council's annual budget for waste management is around £89 million. The council says the waste service is fully funded and it "carefully plans" for changes in waste arisings and market conditions on the cost of disposing of waste.

Almost 350,000 tonnes of black bag waste is set to be sent to landfill for at least another year – at a cost to taxpayers of at least £42 million. Essex County Council has received cabinet approval to extend its current residual black bag waste disposal contracts by a year, to the end of March 2025.

Cllr Mackrory added: "That £130 million has got to be reduced as an absolute priority and in particular the £42 million per annum for black bag waste going to landfill – to get that contract sorted out signed and delivered has got to be absolutely number one priority and that will go a long way to finding savings that we need to meet that target."

A spokesman for Essex County Council said: "Reducing waste and increasing the proportion of waste recycled is the best way that we can minimise both the cost and environmental impact of managing Essex's waste.

"This is something Essex County Council absolutely recognises, and this was explored in detail as part of our draft Waste Strategy for Essex, which was consulted upon with the public this Autumn.

"Landfill is the most expensive and least environmentally desirable way of treating rubbish, therefore the draft strategy is focused on how we reduce waste, increase recycling and cease the use of landfill. The council aims to send zero waste to landfill by 2030.

"We must all individually recognise the role we can play in reducing waste and recycling as much as possible – which will in turn minimise the cost to taxpayers of waste management."