Environment Overview & Scrutiny Report

BOROUGH OF POOLE

ENVIRONMENT OVERVIEW & SCRUTINY REPORT

14THMARCH 2013

RECYCLING PROMOTIONS

1. PURPOSE OF REPORT

1.1To provide Members with details of previous recycling promotions and the impact that these have had on the tonnages of waste collected and the recycling rate by area.

1.2To demonstrate that the informationcan be used to further influence decisions made for future recycling and waste minimisation promotions as well as how best and most efficiently to use the funding from the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) to support weekly refuse collections.

1. DECISION REQUIRED

2.1That Members note the report and use it to inform decisions when considering the funding from the DCLG. A further report will follow with options available for this funding in May.

1. BACKGROUND

3.1Statutory recycling targets are set for all Local Authorities. The target in 2009/10 was to recycle/compost 40% of household waste. The subsequent targets are to recycle/compost:

• 45% of household waste by 2015
• 50% of household waste by 2020

3.2Before the Blue Bin was introduced in 2004 about 18% of household waste in Poole was recycled. With the introduction of the two phases of the green bins in 2006 and 2007 this rose steadily to nearly 40%. There have not been any new schemes introduced after this time. With significant promotion of recycling and waste minimisation campaigns since 2007 this rate of 40% has been maintained to present but has not seen another step-change.In 2011/12 the recycling rate was recorded as 39.36% and this year it is currently 42% (Apr – Jan).

3.3The historical recycling rate for Poole can be seen below.

3.4Landfill tax is currently set at £64/tonne and in April this will increase to £72/tonne. This is on top of gate fees charged by Viridor to send waste to landfill or Energy from Waste (EfW) which in 2012/13 makes the total cost £107.59/tonne. Income received from co-mingled recycling is currently £5/tonne. Therefore the financial saving of recycling one tonne of waste rather than sending it to landfill is £112.59.

3.5Until two years ago, recycling promotions have consisted of staffing a display unit in various roadshow type events. These have taken place in many different sites around the borough including supermarkets, libraries, the Dolphin Centre, Tower Park, Poole High Street, Ashley Road, Broadstone High Street and Poole Park. Information was given to residents and visitors to Poole in the form of stickers, postcards and promotional gifts such as pencils made from recyclable materials, in order to raise awareness of the materials that can be recycled in the Blue Bins.

3.6In 2011 a new approach was trialled where temporary staff carried out door-stepping exercises in different areas of the Borough as well as running the roadshow events. They talked to residents to try to encourage further positive recycling and waste minimisation behaviour. Residents were made aware of the recycling banks for textiles and foil as well as the Mobile Recycling Points and the bin swap scheme. During the three months of promotion, 2491 households were targeted and of these 822 had a resident in at the time of calling.

3.7Direct promotion to residents is supplemented by the Council’s work in promoting recycling to children through work in schools and the Schools Environment Award.

1. 2012 PROMOTIONS

4.1In 2012 it was decided to run a campaign by using entirely door-stepping techniques. This was based on feedback from the previous year’s promotion as it was felt that a wider range of residents could be spoken to rather than just those who choose to speak to the staff at the roadshow events.

4.2Previous waste tonnages for each ward were analysed and a recycling rate was recorded for each area. The results were:

Ward / Total Waste (kg/household/week) / Recycling Rate
MerleyBearwood / 18.06 / 47.34%
Branksome East / 14.50 / 46.41%
Branksome West / 15.45 / 45.18%
Broadstone / 17.20 / 44.48%
Penn Hill / 16.12 / 43.92%
Parkstone / 16.47 / 42.99%
Canford Heath West / 17.63 / 42.26%
Canford Heath East / 16.72 / 40.85%
Canford Cliffs / 17.21 / 39.51%
Oakdale / 16.90 / 39.29%
Hamworthy West / 15.07 / 39.02%
Creekmoor / 16.26 / 38.99%
Newtown / 17.79 / 37.16%
Hamworthy East / 13.77 / 36.53%
Poole Town / 12.24 / 35.70%
Alderney / 21.53 / 28.98%

4.3From this data it was decided to target three wards, Oakdale, Canford Heath East and Parkstone. These wards were chosen as their recycling rate was average across the borough and it was felt could be improved and it was worth investing the resources to try to increase this rate. Wards that had one of the lower recycling rates were not targeted as national research from WRAP (Waste Resources Action Programme) shows thatoftenmore resources are required to make the same impact. Also there are often other issues which can affect how much people recycle e.g. proportion of flatted accommodation and other social-economic factors which can affect what products are disposed of.

4.4The campaign took place over five months from June to October. Oakdale was targeted first followed by Canford Heath East and Parkstone.

4.5A team of door-stepping staff,who were mostly students from Bournemouth University studying for environmental degrees, were employed on temporary contracts. They were trained to speak to residents about a number of subjects including:

• The Blue Bin scheme – reminder of the materials that can be accepted especially low-capture items such as plastic food packaging, Tetra-Paks, aerosols and glass jars
• Bin Swaps
• The Garden Waste Service – gain feedback from residents using the service and see if they plan to register again for 2013
• Mobile Recycling Points
• Recycling banks – textiles, Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE), foil and paper
• Home composting
• Domestic skip hire
• Household Waste Recycling Centre

4.6A short questionnairewas completed with residents which covered various subjects. If the resident had not already swapped their bins they were encouraged to do so.

4.7Promotional material to support the door-stepping campaign was based on the financial saving from diverting waste from black bins to blue with the strapline ‘Think before you throw – could it be recycled?’ Examples were given to show what other services could be funded if everyone in a residential road increased their recycling by just 10%. Examples included:

• 7 hours homecare for a vulnerable person
• School meals for a child for 36 days
• Taking 11 adults to a day care centre
• A school crossing assistant to help children cross the road for a week
• Emptying 163 litter bins, helping to keep Poole clean

4.8Other promotional tools were also used to give the message to residents in other non-targeted wards. These included:

• Adverts on the side of collection vehicles which cover the whole borough (Appendix 1)
• Adverts in community magazines (Canford Heath and Creekmoor Link, Broadstone Link and The Poole Directory (Town Centre area))
• Banners and postcards (Appendix 2) in libraries and the Civic Centre

4.9Areas were also chosen to have tags put on their black bins with the ‘Think before you throw – could it be recycled?’ message (Appendix 3). Specific collection routes were chosen over a two week period which mainly covered different areas to those where the door-steppers were working to give a wider impact. These also gave a reminder of the bin swap scheme and how residents can request to swap their bins.

1. RESULTS FROM QUESTIONNAIRES

5.1Oakdale – graphs in Appendix 4

5.1.1 In total, the door-stepping team spoke to residents in 1059 properties in the Oakdale ward. Of these, 321 requested to swap their bins.

5.1.2 The barriers that are stopping residents from recycling more materials are the size of the blue bin and uncertainty of the items that can be recycled. As many residents claim that they ‘recycle everything’ as those that are not sure of what can be put in the blue bins.

5.1.3 Of the residents spoken to,53% said that their black bin was half full or less on collection day. Even if residents said their bin was more than half full they were still encouraged to have a bin swap as some reported that they only needed the larger black bin for the recyclables that don’t fit into the blue bin. Only a small number of residents said that they don’t put their bins out for collection every week.

5.1.4 78% of residents spoken to reported that their blue bin was 100% full on the collection day. Again residents were encouraged to swap their bins which would help them to recycle more of their waste.

5.2Canford Heath East – graphs in Appendix 5

5.2.1 1093 residents were spoken to in Canford Heath East and of these 320 requested to swap their bins.

5.2.2 When asked what prevents them from recycling more of their waste, the majority of residents again said that there was not enough room in the blue bin and that they weren’t sure of the materials that could be recycled. Many residents also claimed that they recycle everything.

5.2.3 54% of residents said that their black bin was less than half full on their collection day. When asked how full their blue bin was each fortnight, 78% of residents in Canford Heath East said that their blue bin was full. Again these residents were encouraged to swap their bins.

5.3Parkstone – graphs in Appendix 6

5.3.1In Parkstone 181 (35% of the 517 spoken to) requested to swap their bins after speaking to one of the team.

5.3.2 Similar results were seen in Parkstone as the other two wards with residents still reporting that the size of the blue bin and uncertainty of what can be recycled prevents them recycling more.

5.3.3 Of those spoken to, 61% of residents said that their black bin was half full or less on the day of collection.Again in Parkstone, as in the other wards, the majority of residents(76%) said that their blue bin was full on their day of collection.

5.4Bin Swaps Requests

The door-stepping team could not always speak to the resident at the time of calling (approximately one third of residents were available). In these cases, a promotional postcard was left at these properties.Approximately 15,000 postcards were given out during the campaign to residents by the door-stepping team, at the Household Waste Recycling Centre and at public buildings. The graph below shows all of the bin swaps that were requested during the promotional period in the postcode areas that were targeted (Oakdale, Canford Heath East and Parkstone). In total 926 residents requested to swap their bins.

Some properties are able to have a 240l black bin and 240l blue bin if thereare six or more permanent residents living there or a resident has medical needs which results in additional black bin waste being produced.

Many residents were still reluctant to swap their bins as they were unsure if they could manage their waste with a small black bin. Some said that they would only swap if they were forced to or their neighbours were forced to as well.

1. TONNAGE DATA FROM TARGETED WARDS

6.1Oakdale

In the promotional period from June to October kerbside recycling collected in the blue bins has increased by 0.71kg/hh/wk compared to in the same period in 2011.

Black bin tonnages in Oakdale during the same period have fallen by 0.57kg/hh/wk following a downward trend.

6.2Canford Heath East

Compared to the same period in 2011 kerbside recycling tonnages have increased by 0.38kg/hh/wk.

Black bin waste has decreased by 1.03kg/hh/wk in 2012 compared to 2011.

6.3 Parkstone

There has not been such an increase in recycling tonnages collected in the same period in Parkstone as in the other wards, with an increase of 0.16kg/hh/wk. This could be because this was the last ward that the door-stepping team visited so there was not as long a time for the change of behaviour to have an impact. Also, those residents that requested a bin swap may not have had their new bins delivered at this time. Parkstone also had lower black bin tonnages and higher blue bin tonnages than the other two wards before the campaign started.

A drop of 0.95kg/hh/wk was seen in Parkstone during the promotional period. The drop on 22nd August 2012 was due to a hire vehicle being used so correct information may not be available.

7CONCLUSIONS

7.1The door-stepping approach worked well in the areas that were targeted with residents generally giving a positive response. Most residents were happy to speak about their recycling behaviour and it also gave them a chance to ask questions in an informal environment to clarify any particular issues e.g. whether certain items could be recycled and composting queries.

7.2A significant number of residents were not at the property at the time of calling. The team spoke to a resident in approximately one in three properties which is what would be expected. Even though a promotional postcard was always left in the properties where there was not a resident at home, this would not have had the same level of impact as speaking to someone face-to-face.

7.3There are other wards that could be targeted with a similar promotional campaign and it would be expected that results would be similar to those in Oakdale, Canford Heath East and Parkstone. It is likely that the same barriers would be seen and highlighted in some wards more than others.

7.4If every property in Canford Heath East (2932 properties) increased their recycling by 10% (0.2kg) this would result in an extra 30.49 tonnes collected per year in this ward. At £5/tonne this would mean an increased income of £152.45 per year. If this waste had previously been sent to landfill, at a cost of £107.59/tonne, this would make a saving of £3280.42 per year. This cost would increase further after 2012/13 when landfill tax increases by £8/tonne.

7.5Officers from E&CPS have recently looked at environmental incentive schemes for Local Authorities. These work by encouraging residents to register to take part and once they have done so they can then report when they have recycled and gain points for doing so. Points can be redeemed for vouchers towards local businesses or donated to local schools. Extra points can be gained by taking part in environmentally educational quizzes and pledged on the website. Access to the internet is not necessary to take part, as residents can also report when they have recycled by contacting the call centre or using a mobile phone application. There is a limit to the number of times that a resident can report that they have recycled in a certain period. The annual cost to the Local Authority is based on the number of properties that the campaign would be aimed at. The four Local Authorities already taking part in the UK have reported increases in recycling rates of up to 9%.

8FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

8.1Every tonne of waste that is put in the blue bin rather than the black bin creates a financial saving of £112.59. This will increase further as landfill tax continues to increase by £8 per tonne in 2013/14.

8.2We are currently budgeted to purchase our bin requirements for new properties and general wear and tear. However the council still has a large number of 20 year old 240 litreblack bins that are increasingly failing which is increasing the pressure on the existing budget.

8.3The Borough of Poole has been awarded funding from the DCLG. The subsequent report will set out the options available to the Borough for how the funding could be used to increase recycling and address the issue of replacing an old binstock.

9LEGAL IMPLICATIONS

9.1The European Landfill Directive and the Waste Framework Directive has given the UK recycling targets of 50% by 2020, and the reduction of bio-degradable municipal waste to 35% of 1995 level also by 2020. Councils also have to collect four recyclable materials by 2015.

9.2The HouseholdWaste Recycling Act 2003 required councils to provide a doorstep collection of at least two recyclable materials by 2010 (now incorporated as section 45a Environmental Protection Act 1990).

9.3The Council has a duty to collect household waste in its area (section 51 Environmental Protection Act 1990 – The Waste Collection Authority).

9.4The Council canspecify what receptacles will be used to collect household waste, and the kind and number required for a separate collection of recyclable materials (section 46 Environmental Protection Act 1990).

9.5The Council hasa duty to arrange for the disposal of waste collected, and to provide places for residents to dispose of their own household waste free of charge (section 51 Environmental Protection Act 1990 – The Waste Disposal Authority).

9.6Councils canuse, sell or otherwise dispose of collected waste (section 55 Environmental Protection Act 1990).

10RISK MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS

10.1Bin manufacturers give a guaranteed life of a wheeled bin for eight years. Some 240 litre black bins used in the Borough are over 20 years old and blue bins were introduced over eight years ago. Requests are often made for bin replacements. Damaged 240 litre black bins are currently replaced with a 240 litre blue bin and 140 litre black bin.

11EQUALITIES IMPLICATIONS

11.1If a property has six or more permanent residents they are able, if they wish, to have a 240 litre blue bin as well as a 240l litre black bin.

11.2Residents with medical conditions which mean that they produce extra black bin waste are also able to have a 240 litre blue bin as well as a 240l litre black bin.

Shaun Robson

Head of Environmental & Consumer Protection Services

Contact Officer:

Laura Neil

Recycling and Waste Minimisation Officer

e.mail:

Tel: 261725

Appendix 1–Livery on refuse collection vehicles