WASTE could soon be taken out of the county under cost-cutting plans being considered by the Somerset Waste Partnership (SWP).

The partnership wants to reduce the current £12 million a year cost of disposing rubbish in landfill sites in the county.

Instead, rubbish could be taken anywhere in Europe under plans approved by members of the partnership’s governing Somerset Waste Board.

The board - representatives of the SWP’s five district councils and the county council - gave the go-ahead to issue a Europe-wide tender to find a company to provide an alternative to landfill for Somerset.

They also agreed to investigate potential sites for two waste transfer stations to be built – one to serve the east of the county and one to serve the west.

The sites would handle domestic rubbish which would be ‘bulked up’ and taken out of county for treatment or turned into fuel for export or use in the UK.

Ten potential sites were shortlisted for the west and seven to the east.

A spokesman for the partnership said: “The search has homed in to two preferred options and one fall-back.

“Bidders will not be obliged to use the two preferred sites but they will be available for any bidder who does not have any alternatives.

“If approved by the board, the locations of the preferred sites will be identified later, once land negotiations have been concluded and when applications for planning permission and Environment Agency permits are made.”

The spokesman said residents still had a major part to play in the battle to save money.

He said people still needed to recycle more and waste less as it was estimated that half of most households’ rubbish bins could still be recycled at the kerbside with an additional ten per cent recycled at local centres.

SWP has also unveiled new livery for its rubbish collection vehicles.

Against a backdrop of images of landfilled rubbish and Somerset countryside it urges “Less of this … Think before you bin” and “More of this … Recycle More (every bit helps)”.

The partnership said the wrap would act as “a protective system to preserve the appearance and value of the vehicle” as well as promoting a strong waste message.