Meeting documents

RESOLVED that Councillor M. Kelleher be elected Chair(person) for the duration of the meeting.

The Committee Administrator drew attention to the emergency evacuation procedure as set out on the Agenda.

There was no vice-chair(person) elected.

There were no declarations of interest made.

There were no items of urgent business.

There were no items from the public.

There were no items from Councillors.

On a motion from Councillor R. Symonds it was RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on Tuesday 6th November 2001 be confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chair(person).

The Sub-Committee received a report concerning Avon Friends of the Earth, who in partnership with Bath & North East Somerset Council have been allocated £225,000 to carry out organic waste recycling collection trials in 2002/03, by the Sita Environmental Trust. B&NES allocated £25K to the project in order to attract this external funding.

The background research to the project is now complete, and a Steering Group meeting had taken place early January to discuss the format of the trials. The trials included various combinations of collection methods and frequencies, detailed in Appendix A. Amongst these combinations were alternate weekly collections of refuse and recycling. Members were asked to confirm their commitment to trialling these arrangements.

On a motion from Councillor R. Symonds it was RESOLVED that:

(1) Members welcomed and endorsed the organic waste recycling collection trials as detailed in Appendix A. The trials included various combinations of collection methods, and differing frequencies of collection of refuse, recyclables and compostables;

(2) Regular reports on progress be made to this Sub-Committee or to the appropriate successor body or bodies;

(3) Local Councillors, in areas where trials are being carried out, be informed and involved well before the trail begins and that all Councillors be given information on the trials; and

(4) In the event of the success of the trials, a bid should be submitted to the Government Waste Fund of £140 million for local authorities in 2002/2003, to cover the implementation of a kerbside collection programme for organic waste throughout Bath & North East Somerset, beginning April 2003.

The Sub-Committee received a report, which highlighted the rising numbers of vehicle arsons within Bath & North East Somerset, of which 40% of arsons occur when vehicles are abandoned. In order to reduce vehicle arsons and vandalism Avon and Somerset Constabulary and the Avon Fire Brigade have joined forces to trial the "Car Clear Project" in neighbouring unitary authorities. North Somerset and Bristol have experienced a reduction in vehicle arsons as a result.

(1) Bath & North East Somerset Council work in partnership with Avon Fire Brigade, Avon and Somerset Constabulary and neighbouring unitary authorities in supporting the introduction of the Car Clear project in B&NES; and

(2) Bath & North East Somerset Council introduce an `OWNER REQUEST' scheme for the removal of abandoned vehicles, at a charge to the customer to cover the costs of the scheme.

The Sub-Committee received a report, which detailed the external funding being sought by Avon Friends of the Earth to relocate the horse drawn collection service from the Temple Cloud depot into a more densely populated area such as Keynsham. Members resolved at the 10^th September 2001 Waste Management Sub-Committee that the service should be reviewed in December 2001 if the required funding to begin a new trial had not become available. To date the required level of external funding had not been achieved. £1,000 had been allocated from Wessex Water but two other grants, £38,000 from the British Oxygen Company (BOC) Foundation and £10,000 from Shell were dependant on a grant from the Social, Economic, Environmental, Development Fund (SEED), which is part of the New Opportunities Fund (NOFF) from The National Lottery. This application will not now be determined until the end of February. Replacing the horse drawn collection service with an equivalent motor vehicle would release £8,620.

The Waste Services Manager informed Members that a meeting between officers and Avon Friends of the Earth confirmed that a decision regarding SEED funding would be made within two weeks.

In response to Councillor Symond's request for further information in the next report, the Waste Services Manager agreed to include details of SEED funding, new premises for the horses and benefits of the horse drawn service.

On a motion from Councillor B. Carruthers, it was RESOLVED that:

(1) Councillors continued to support Avon Friends of the Earth's bid for additional funding; and

(2) Should external funding not be granted, the council re-assesses its funding of the horse drawn service; and

(3) A report be submitted to the Planning, Transportation & Environment Committee for consideration in March 2002, if funding is not available.

The Sub-Committee received a performance monitoring report for the refuse collection and cleansing contracts, which also included the performance information relating to the recycling and waste operation activities. Members were asked to consider the contents of the report and identify any issues to be considered for future action and investigation.

On a motion from Councillor R. Organ, it was RESOLVED that the monitoring reports be considered and noted.

No reported action had been taken under delegated authority in consultation with spokespersons.

RESOLVED that Councillor G. Derrick (Labour Group) be nominated Chair (person) for the next meeting.

The Waste Services Manager informed Members that a briefing concerning the Waste Best Value Review would be held on 20^th February at 2.00pm in Guildhall, Bath. A Member briefing concerning Keynsham Environment Park Development Team will be arranged.

(1) Waste Strategy

(2) Proposals for spending Landfill Tax for education, including targets to measure the success of the project; and

(3) Report on bids to the Government Waste Fund, including Organic Waste.