How we deal with our waste now and in the future is one of the biggest challenges we face. We have seen ever increasing levels of waste being produced in the county whilst facing less landfill capacity and the threat of large financial penalties, driven by regulatory changes at national and European levels. We must move away from our dependency on landfill towards more sustainable methods of waste treatment technologies. Residents' and businesses' expectations of waste management are changing. In essence, it is time for change.

The Joint Municipal Waste Management Strategy (JMWMS) for Cumbria sets out the issues we face and looks to the future. The JMWMS has been developed for and on behalf of the people of Cumbria, it was therefore important that we consulted with you on the strategy before progressing it further. Between September and December last year we made the strategy document available online and at all public libraries and council offices throughout the county. We also distributed copies of the strategy document and presented to a broad range of public, private and third sector organisations. We invited everybody to provide comment and feedback.

We listened to your views and incorporated them into the strategy. A new and updated version of the JMWMS is now available to download. If you would like to read the report highlighting the results of the consultation we carried out then please email us with your request, remembering to include your postal address.

Although our initial consultation period is now over, we still welcome any comments that you would like to make. It is important that the JMWMS is and remains representative of the people of Cumbria. We will continue to review this document on a regular basis to ensure that it remains relevant and offers the absolute best value for Cumbria and it's residents.