Classification: Part 1 – Public
Key Decision: Yes
Gravesham Borough Council
Report to: Cabinet
Date: 10 July 2013
Reporting officer: Director (Finance & Environment) Assistant Director (Environment)
Subject: Update on the Waste Collection Support Scheme
Purpose and summary of report:
To provide Members with an update outlining the progress made to date in respect of the Waste Collection Support Scheme project.
To request Members to grant delegated authority to enable the preferred refuse and recycling service delivery option to be implemented.
Recommendations:
1. Members are requested to instruct the Director (Finance & Environment) in consultation with the Leader of the Executive and the Lead Member for Community Services to take the necessary action to implement the preferred refuse and recycling service delivery option based on the work completed by officers and Eunomia Research and Consulting, taking into account the results of the various fact-finding visits made by Members and officers.
1. Background to the scheme
1.1 In February 2012, the department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) announced a £250 million fund (over a three-year period) to encourage councils to maintain weekly waste collection and improve their refuse and recycling service. The council was successful in its bid for funding and has been awarded £4,915,990 (across the three-year period) in order to implement changes to the refuse and recycling service. The table below shows how the funding is spread across the three years.
2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 Total £268,553 £1,010,711 £3,636,726 £4,915,990
Cabinet – 10 July 2013 Update on the Waste Collection Support Scheme
2. Progress to date
Project Groups
2.1 To help guide and control the project to ensure that the changes to the refuse and recycling service are implemented effectively, three working groups have been established as outlined below: 2.1.1 Members’ Cross-party Working Group - responsible for monitoring the progress of the project and for giving advice on the ways in which the community can be kept informed before and during the introduction of the new service. The group will also act as a ‘critical friend’ within the process, providing feedback and advice at key stages of the project. The Members of the Cross-party Working Group are: • Cllr John Burden (Chair) • Cllr Andrea Webb (Vice-chair) • Cllr Colin Caller • Cllr Senja Compton • Cllr Harold Craske • Cllr Jane Cribbon • Cllr Mick Wenban
2.1.2 Service Delivery Project Group - responsible for ensuring the successful delivery of the overall project. This includes the roll-out of the food waste scheme across the borough and the implementation of an improved method for the collection of recycling via wheeled bins or boxes. 2.1.3 Communications Project Group – responsible for the development and delivery of a communications plan to ensure the effective internal and external communication and promotion of the new refuse and recycling service. All of the groups above have been meeting over recent months in order to set the foundations for the roll-out of the refuse and recycling service in the borough and the terms of reference for the groups are attached at appendix two.
Use of Consultants to inform the refuse and recycling delivery
2.2 To help ensure that the council selects the most effective service method for delivering the new refuse and recycling service for the borough, Eunomia Research & Consulting have been commissioned to conduct an ‘options appraisal’ to evaluate various different service models. This appraisal has examined six different options for how the council could deliver its refuse and recycling service, utilising different vehicles and refuse/recycling receptacles.
2.3 Five of the options have been modelled with a 180ltr bin for residual waste with a food caddie for food waste and either a 240ltr bin or kerbside boxes for recycling. The sixth option models the use of a 140ltr bin for residual waste alongside the best performing recycling option.
2.4 The use of a 180ltr bin for residual, food refuse caddie and a 240ltr bin follows other schemes recently introduced in East and Mid Kent under the Kent Waste Partnership banner.
Cabinet – 10 July 2013 Update on the Waste Collection Support Scheme
2.5 The options appraisal report from Eunomia Research & Consulting is attached at appendix three. The options outlined within the consultant’s report together with their conclusions have been discussed at the Members’ Cross-party Working Group, the Management Team and the Service Delivery Project Group. Discussions have centred around:
• the various operational advantages and disadvantages of each option, in particular in relation to traffic disruption caused by slower collection operations;
• the sustainability advantages that all of the options bring in terms of increasing recycling levels; and
• the financial implications of all options, particularly the financial advantages offered by the ‘kerbside sort’ option (option 5).
2.6 In terms of the kerbside sort option a key point of consideration has been that whilst this offers a low ‘net’ cost operation it is reliant on high income levels derived from the sale of recyclable materials. Consequently further work is being conducted by the consultant and by officers to verify prices in the various materials markets and also to gain, as far as is possible, a view on the strength and future life of those markets.
2.7 To ensure that the project can continue to progress in a timely manner over the coming months, Members are requested to give delegated authority to the Director (Finance and Environment), in conjunction with the Leader of the Executive and the Lead Member for Community Services, to take the necessary action to implement the preferred refuse and recycling service delivery option.
Other areas of work
2.8 Outlined below are further areas of work currently underway to help increase recycling rates with immediate effect and to enable the project to progress most effectively.
2.8.1 Increasing availability of clear bags to residents During the last sack delivery in January/February 2013 and more recently in April/May 2013, residents were provided 30 clear bags on a roll instead of the previous 15 per roll they would normally receive. Residents will continue to receive additional recycling sacks until the recycling service is rolled-out.
2.8.2 Promotions and marketing To ensure that there is a joined-up approach to all communications and marketing work, the council has appointed Jane Packham, a specialist marketing and communications expert. This role will be funded by the grant and will add the critical communications resource and expertise required for this significant project.
Cabinet – 10 July 2013 Update on the Waste Collection Support Scheme
2.8.3 Vehicle Testing Whilst Eunomia Research & Consulting have been undertaking the options appraisal, the council has tested a number of different ‘demonstrator’ vehicles on site. The vehicles have ranged in size, manufacturer and manoeuvrability. The refuse and recycling vehicle drivers have had the opportunity to test some of the vehicles both at the depot and on various collection routes in the borough. This has tested whether the vehicles are suitable from an operational point of view and has ensured that the refuse collection drivers are involved in the changes to the service.
2.8.4 Site Visits Various site visits have been made by Members and officers to look at alternative ways of delivering the refuse and recycling service. Officers from the operational side of the refuse and recycling service have undertaken visits to Spelthorne Borough Council and Epsom and Ewell Borough Council. Officers witnessed a wheeled bin and food waste collection in operation and took time to speak to officers at these councils about their experience in running these times of service. Members and officers have also made visits to Shepway District Council, Dover District Council and Bristol City Council to observe wheeled bin and kerbside sort operations in practice.
3. Background papers
3.1 Background papers pertaining to this report are:
“Supporting Weekly Collections – Prospectus and bidding form for applicants ” – published by the department for Communities and Local Government
“Waste Collection Support Scheme – Bid Form” – final bid document submitted to the department for Communities and Local Government.
Anyone wishing to inspect background papers should, in the first place, be directed to Committee & Electoral Services who will make the necessary arrangements.
Cabinet – 10 July 2013 Update on the Waste Collection Support Scheme
IMPLICATIONS APPENDIX 1
Legal All Member States of the EU are required to achieve recycling and composting rates of 45% by 2015 and 50% by 2020 as contained in the revised Waste Framework Directive (rWFD) 2008. Failure to achieve these levels of performance as a nation may give rise to EU fines. The Government has legalised the passport of such fines to local authorities as contained in the Localism Act 2011. Whilst the Local Government Association achieved a better outcome in the drafting of the Act than had been originally proposed by the Government, financial risks remain for those councils that do not achieve the targets. The levels of potential fines are unknown.
Finance and Under its Supporting Weekly Collections scheme, the CLG has awarded the council Value for a grant of £4,915,990 to assist the council in maintaining a weekly refuse collection Money service. The project plan for the implementation of this scheme will be used to assist in the control of the budget and spending on this project – the Service Manager (Financial Services) is a member of the officer working group responsible for implementing the project.
Risk The main risk to the council, as set out in the ‘legal’ element of this appendix is in Assessment relation to the council not fulfilling its contribution to the national recycling targets for the UK. This could lead to financial sanctions being placed on the council. There are different levels of risk inherent in each of the various refuse and recycling collection methods being considered. An evaluation of the operational and financial risks relating to each collection method is being carried out and the results of this evaluation will be taken into account in the selection of the preferred option to be implemented. Screening for Equality Impacts Equality Impact Question Answer Explanation Assessment
a. Does the decision No being made or recommended through this paper have potential to cause adverse impact As part of the decision- or discriminate against making process, an different groups in the equalities impact community? assessment of the proposed preferred b. Does the decision No being made or option will be undertaken. recommended through this paper make a positive contribution to promoting equality? c. What steps are you N/A -- taking to mitigate, reduce, avoid or minimise the impacts identified above?
Cabinet – 10 July 2013 Update on the Waste Collection Support Scheme
IMPLICATIONS APPENDIX 1
In submitting this report, the Chief Officer doing so is confirming that they have given due regard to the equality impacts of the decision being considered, as noted in the table above
Corporate • Area of focus 2 – Working to maintain a clean and green environment Business (specifically – Provide a quality refuse and recycling service to the public and Plan work with partners to increase recycling and reduce the amount of waste that is sent to landfill ).
• Area of focus 16 – Ensuring a strong customer focus and delivering quality frontline services (specifically – Enhance customer accessibility to the services provided by the council by improving and developing the council’s website in order to increase the number of ‘self-help’ functions provided to the customer ).
Crime and There are no significant crime and disorder implications in relation to the Disorder introduction of a new refuse and recycling collection service.
Cabinet – 10 July 2013 Update on the Waste Collection Support Scheme