WHERE there's muck there's brass, but a politician knows there is also the prospect of votes too.

Rubbish, or at least how well it is managed, consistently polls as one of the top priorities for residents.

A recent survey of 3,000 people by Ipsos Mori found they believed waste management was the third 'most important' activity Notts County Council is involved in. Almost three in 10 people picked it out.

While the bins are actually emptied by the district and borough councils, the county council has to ensure the proper disposal of the waste.

It is responsible for the county's 17 recycling centres, waste recycling plant, land fill, incineration and turning garden waste into compost.

During the last four years there have been major changes in the way waste is managed in the county and there will be significant decisions too, during the next term.

The Labour Party claims it is proud of its record on waste.

Councillor Chris Baron, cabinet member for the environment, points to the £850m waste management contract the county council signed with Veolia Environmental Services two years ago.

The deal means that Veolia now manages the processing of almost all of the 860,000 tonnes of waste produced in Notts each year and it has brought forward new investment in plants and facilities.

Mr Baron said: "The household waste recycling centres are very popular and we are upgrading all of them."

There is a new Materials Recycling Facility in Mansfield which is used to sort rubbish.

The county council has also incentivised district and borough councils to boost their individual recycling rates.

Notts recycles 39% of its household waste, putting it in the top quarter of county councils. Mr Baron said a target of 50% will be reached by 2015.

However, there have been controversies too, which will carry over into the new administration.

There is a vigorous protest against plans for an incinerator to burn 180,000 tonnes of rubbish per year on the former Rufford Colliery site near Rainworth. The plans will now go to a public inquiry.

Mr Baron said there was a balance to be struck. While the incinerator is unpopular with some residents, it will be able to burn waste, generate energy and reduce the need for landfill sites in the county.

He also said landfill sites are filling up and new ones will have to be found. Secondly, the cost of landfill is increasing.

However, Shlomo Bowen, of the campaign group Pain (People Against Incineration) accuses Labour of failing to listen to the community and considering alternatives.

He said: "Less and less of the county's waste is going to landfill. We are doing better with recycling and we need to build on that. We need better facilities and investment in collection schemes which would eliminate the need for an incinerator."

The campaigners have been given qualified support by the Liberal Democrats, who opposed the incinerator plans on the council's planning committee. But overall, they say, they are happy with council's performance on waste management.

Coun Stan Heptinstall, Lib Dem group leader, said: "The council has worked hard to set up the contract with Veolia and worked with the district councils to provide a decent service."

Coun Kay Cutts, leader of the Conservative Group on the county council, agreed the new waste management contract was developed and implemented well, with the involvement of all councillors. But said the council effectively signed up to a new incinerator when it agreed the contract with Veolia.

charles.walker@nottinghameveningpost.co.uk