Councillor Varden, one of the delegation of 14 who attended the award ceremony said, "It is a very great honour that Hampshire County Council and the thirteen other local authorities of Hampshire and Hampshire Waste Services have been awarded "Beacon Council status" for sustainable development - dealing with waste.

"This recognises the hard work undertaken by Council members, Officers and the Contractor in developing and implementing a successful waste strategy which enjoys widespread support from the people of Hampshire."

Beacon status was awarded to Project Integra due to its unique status of a single bid made on behalf of the partnership; the existing strong reputation for communication methods; and the successful achievement of one of the highest recycling rates in the UK.

In return, to meet the obligations of the award, Project Integra is committed to host a number of open days to demonstrate to other authorities the challenges and achievements of partnership working; examining the opportunities of waste as a resource, and a seminar to strengthen the links between waste, sustainable and economic development. There will also be work placement opportunities for others outside of Hampshire to learn first hand how the Integra Network operates.

Project Integra will continue to develop the waste management infrastructure for Hampshire to increase the recycling rate from the current 22% towards 40% in the longer term.

23 December 1999