Meeting documents

1 THE ISSUE

1.1 Due to the increase of waste tonnages and the levels of recycling at the Bath Refuse Transfer Station, the Bath Household Waste and Recycling Centre and the Pixash Lane Household Waste and Recycling Centre, increased overtime has been worked and additional Agency staff have been employed to accommodate this work. Within existing budgets. This report seeks to employ 2 fulltime operatives within existing budgets to reduce the need for agency staff

2 RECOMMENDATION

2.1 That the Sub-committee approves the appointment of two extra waste operatives within existing budgets to be located at the Bath Transfer Station and the Pixash Lane Household Waste and Recycling Centre.

Printed on recycled paper

3 FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

3.1 The proposed employment of 2 additional full time staff will result in a saving of £3,245 on the cost of overtime payments and employing the equivalent Agency staff.

4 THE REPORT

4.1 When the current staffing levels were established by Avon County Council in the early 1990s, the Bath Transfer Station dealt with approximately 29,000 tonnes of waste and the Bath Household Waste and Recycling Centre (HW&RC) 8,900 tonnes annually. Similarly, the Pixash Lane HW&RC received 6,500 tonnes of waste each year. Since that time, waste arisings have increased annually as has the level of recycling. It is estimated that in 2001/2 Bath Transfer Station will deal with 36,000 tonnes, the Bath HW&RC 14,500 tonnes and Pixash Lane HW&RC will have a total throughput of 10,800 tonnes an overall increase of 17.000 tonnes (38%). The HW&RC throughputs include recyclables as well as waste for disposal.

4.2 Waste Operations reorganised the management of their sites, which had previously been managed through a joint arrangement with BCC, resulting in a significant increase in the levels of waste, recycled which is in line with the Council's waste strategy.

4.3 Since 1998 there has been a substantial increase in the use of the HW&RCs by the public. Traffic counts show an average increase in traffic using the Bath HW&RC of 30.7% and an average increase at Pixash Lane HW&RC of 20.4% which is partly due to the longer opening hours at each site on a Sunday.

4.4 On Sundays, the current opening hours are manned by both B&NES and agency due to staff shortages and driving time regulations. Agency staff must be used to supplement the workforce.

4.5 Appendix 1 illustrates some of the initiatives that have been introduced over time

Current situation

4.6 In order to deal with the increases of waste for disposal and increased levels of recyclable materials that need transporting to various sites, it has become necessary to engage Agency labour during the week to drive our vehicles and assist with operations at a cost. Whilst this has enabled the Council to deal with the problem in the short term, Agency drivers are not as adaptable, or flexible as the B&NES staff who comply with the Council's Service Charter.

4.7 A full time worker has been employed at Old Welton Transfer Station, incorporating the weekend period as part of his normal working week, as agreed with the unions. The employment of a waste operative on this basis has proved very successful, saving the need to hire agency labour at weekends.

Proposals

4.8 It is therefore proposed that two full time staff be employed by the Council to work from Saturday to Wednesday, this would ensure continued cover at the weekends

4.9 It would also reduce the need to employ Agency personnel to staff the HW&RCs at the weekends. Employing two permanent waste operatives to include the weekend work would give an annual saving of £3,245.

4.10 Employing two Waste Operatives from Saturday to Wednesday would also provide operations with flexibility for holiday and sickness cover from Monday to Wednesday as well as manning the spare vehicle when operations so require.

4.11 In addition, new EC legislation comes into being next year, which will prevent staff from working longer than 48 hours each week. With the present staffing levels, it may prove difficult to maintain the level of cover required to operate these sites.

Document3 This version was printed 11-Mar-02 10:24

Appendix 1

Illustrations of Initiatives introduced into HW&RCs

1. Bath Transfer Station currently delivers 15 containers to Westmoreland Railhead daily with extra waste being transported by road to a landfill site in Westbury. In addition, Bath Transfer Station transports recycling materials to various merchants for processing.

2. Waste from Pixash Lane HW&RC is taken into Bath Transfer Station by road and compacted for transport to the railhead, with recyclable materials being transported directly to merchants for processing.

3. Waste Operations previously had cardboard collected from its HW&RCs at a cost of £50 per container lift. Subsequent negotiations with Severnside Waste Paper resulted in an arrangement whereby Waste Operations now deliver cardboard directly to their site and receive a credit of £5 per tonne. Over the last three months this has generated an income of £397 against a previous yearly expenditure of approx. £11000, although this excludes transport costs.

4. The collection of timber that was introduced at all HW&RCs involved Churngold supplying containers and emptying them on request with a cost to the Council £72 .00 per container. Subsequent negotiations with Churngold have resulted in an arrangement whereby the Council delivers the timber direct to Churngold free of charge subject to the removal of contaminants.

5. Waste Operations delivers rubble to Queen Charlton and Gurney Slade for reprocessing and recycling at a cost per 20 cubic yard container.

6. Green waste is also delivered to Hinton Organics at Queen Charlton.

7. With regard to cardboard, timber, rubble and green waste the initiatives described above are both environmentally beneficial and have the additional financial benefit of saving the Council Landfill Tax payments. Landfill Tax will increase to £13.00 per tonne from April 2002.