Trudi Davies The Politics Show South East

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Households could be charged for the rubbish they produce

The South East produces mores waste than any other region. We generate nearly 4m tonnes of domestic waste annually.

... And we put more of it in landfill sites than anywhere else in the UK.

We have managed to keep it "out of sight and out of mind" until now but EU legislation means that our local authorities have to stop using landfill as the main means of disposing of waste.

So where is it going to go?

On the Politics Show South East, Paul Siegert roams the region to look at the future of waste management.

Reduce recycle recover

These are the new buzz words but what do they mean.

In Surrey, Paul meets a family who are reducing the amount of waste they buy by adopting the County's ShopSmart scheme.

In Lewes he visits a recycling plant to discover what can and cannot be saved from our rubbish.

But what does recovering really mean? Not picking rubbish up from the street but incinerating anything that cannot be recycled.

The plants themselves generate power as they burn rubbish which means that they can be referred to as recovery units.

Local campaign

Defenders of the Ouse Valley and Estuary (DOVE), are campaigning against East Sussex County Council's plans to build an incinerator on their doorstep, and disagree with this description as they explain to Paul.

One last suggestion comes from Sir Michael Lyons; his latest proposal is for households to pay a "rubbish tax" based on the weight of waste we produce.

Where London's waste may go Berkshire 8.5% Buckinghamshire 16.8% East Sussex 8.4% Hampshire 8.4% Kent and Medway 12.2% Milton Keynes 10.1% Oxfordshire 17.0% Surrey 8.4% West Sussex 10.1%

Dumping ground

As if we don't generate enough rubbish of our own, the South East is set to take 1.25m tonnes of waste from London every year.

In the Studio we talk to the Leader of West Sussex County Council, Henry Smith who has threatened to pull out of the South East Regional Assembly (SEERA) in response to these proposals.

He will be joined by Paul Bevan, the Chief Executive of SEERA and a representative from Violia - the company charged with managing waste in East Sussex.

Recycling, Reduction or Incineration - What do you think is the best way to handle the South East's Waste? Where do you want your waste to go?

Email us via the link below or Text your opinion to 07786 209252 and we will put your points to our studio guests.

Now you SEE it ...

See who?

As we have the head of SEERA in the studio, we thought we'd take the opportunity to ask the people of Surrey and Sussex if they know what SEERA stands for, what it does and how much it costs.

Is it just another Government quango or useful extra layer of local accountability? Or could it be, as one member of the public thought, a new power company?

We ask Paul Bevan if he thinks that SEERA's public face is hitting the mark.

Have you heard of SEERA? Do you know what it does for you?

Put your questions to Paul Bevan by texting us on 07786 209252 or email us at [email protected] or via the link below.

Paper review and comments

Ian Read from the Sevenoaks Chronicle reviews the weeks papers and Paul Siegert will be reading out your views on our topics.

Next week

On 25 June we are live from the farmers market in West Malling where we discuss the state of farming in the South East.

Paul Siegert

... And to find out what initiatives are in place to encourage more of us to buy local produce and give up our addiction to the supermarket.

We would love to see you there or let us know your thoughts via the email links or text number.

Join in

Come and appear on the show. If you feel strongly about something our Rant of the Week slot gives you 60 seconds to share your opinions with our viewers.

Email us: [email protected] or via the link below

The Politics Show South East

Join Paul Siegert on the Politics Show on Sunday 25 June 2006 at 12:00 on BBC One.

Disclaimer: The BBC may edit your comments and cannot guarantee that all emails will be published.