Agenda item

To receive the report of the Cabinet Member for Environment which recommends a new model of delivery that will deliver savings, enhance recycling performance and future-proof the service.

The Chair welcomed Councillor Porter, Cabinet Member for Environment, and Mr Bruce Carpenter, from the Somerset Waste Partnership who had acted as an adviser to the Waste and Recycling Review Members’ Project Group, to the meeting.

Members were presented with a report which outlined the work undertaken during the Waste and Recycling Review.  The report recommended a new model of delivery that would deliver savings, enhance recycling performance and futureproof the service for future challenges.  Councillor Porter highlighted the key points of the review and thanked Members of the Working Group who had worked well together on the project.  He commended the staff in the Environmental Projects Team who he described as ‘innovative’ in their approach.

Members discussed the following matters:-

1.       A Member sought clarification on the increase in income resulting from additional commodity sales as detailed in Appendix 3 to the report.  Councillor Porter and Mr Bruce Carpenter explained the rationale behind the figures.

2.       A Member welcomed the report and echoed praise for the Environmental Projects Team.  Turning to Appendix 2, ‘Upgrading of Sorting Line’, the Member asked what this entailed.  Councillor Porter explained that the intention was for Amey to collect mixed plastics at the same time and the capital expenditure reflected the costs of accommodating the required additional facilities at the Depot.

3.       A Member queried whether there would be any effect on the existing contract with Amey and how long the contract had to run.  Councillor Porter responded that there were 5 years left on the contract and that the new model would not have any impact on the current contract.

4.       A Member referred to paragraph 3.9 of the report which stated that whilst no changes were proposed to the frequency of refuse collections at this time, the new model would not preclude the possibility of reviewing this in the future.  Councillor Porter confirmed that fortnightly collections had been resisted at this stage, but could not be ruled out in the future if the service was faced with financial pressures.

5.       A Member asked if the new model would improve collection rates in HMO’s, densely populated terraced homes, apartment blocks, and areas where there was a transient population and asked if there would be better ‘policing’ of overflowing bins.  Councillor Porter acknowledged the Member’s comments and said that some of the problems emanated from the poor design of waste facilities in buildings and that he had explored measures with Development Control to ensure that buildings had adequate facilities for waste storage at the planning application stage.  Councillor Porter added that the ‘closed bin policy’ would continue to be upheld following the death of an operative in Cheltenham.

6.       Another Member welcomed the report and expressed thanks to Amey and to Officers for the work and said that he looked forward to some good outcomes.

7.       A Member who had been part of the Member Working Group echoed Councillor Porter’s comments and confirmed that the exercise had been a thorough one which had examined all the different aspects of the Council’s relationship with Amey and that this could lead to a review of the service in the future.  The Member thanked Mr Bruce Carpenter for his assistance to the Group. 

8.       A Member queried what would happen if hessian sacks went missing and asked whether evidence had been gauged from other authorities in the County regarding their effectiveness.  Councillor Porter responded that whilst there was no firm evidence from other authorities, he had been assured by Officers that the hessian sacks would work well and that they had previously been used in Gloucester for garden waste.  He added that the sacks were durable and he was confident they would not wear out.  Replacement sacks would be provided for residents in line with the policy applied to requests for replacement green boxes.

9.       A Member asked if wet corrugated card had a reduced value.  Councillor Porter said it was important to keep it dry and referred to problems with residents who were not prepared to cut up cardboard for it to fit inside the sack.  The Member commented that some residents might not be physically able to cut cardboard.  Mr Bruce Carpenter advised the Member that the service was not intended to cater for bulky cardboard such as that from a flat pack kitchen.  Mr Carpenter added that whilst it was important to keep the card as dry as possible to retain its value, weekly collections would ensure that deterioration was minimised as far as possible.

10.     A Member observed that recycling figures had improved because of the proactive work undertaken by the Environmental Projects Team including their bin ‘audits’.  He commended the Officers for their efforts.

11.     A Member queried whether food caddies which were unused by residents would be recovered.  Another Member commented that it was important to encourage residents to use them and that taking them away would be a negative step.  Councillor Porter responded that he was keen to encourage the promotion of food recycling.

The Chair drew the debate to a close and thanked Councillor Porter and Mr Bruce Carpenter for their presentations.

RESOLVED TO RECOMMEND TO CABINET – That the report be noted.