Issue - meetings

There will be a presentation on this item at the meeting.

The Team Manager, Strategy & Contracts gave a presentation to the Panel, a copy of which can be found online as an appendix to these minutes or on the Panel’s Minute Book. A summary is set out below.

What Changed?

•  57,600 households received 140 litre bins / 3,200 households issued larger 240 litre bins

•  10,500 received 140 litre reusable rubbish bags (fortnightly) / 6,360 received 70 litre reusable rubbish bag (weekly)

•  1,350 properties on weekly black sack collection (city centre and small proportion bin rooms) / 5,000 households serviced by bulk communal bins

•  Recycling Service in-house

Why did we make these changes?

•  To keep our streets cleaner

•  To recycle more

•  To save money

Background – Service model

•  Extensive benchmarking & research into recycling performance and waste collection services offered by other local authorities

•  Financial assessments into 5 alternative collection models, narrowed down to 2 that met 3 key objectives.

Changes requested during planning

•  Increase in the number of properties eligible for a weekly collection service from the original modelling

•  Increase in the amnesty period for the collection of side waste extended from 4 weeks to 12 weeks / Increased education during extended amnesty period.

Implementation

•  Letters sent with Council Tax bills in March 2017 to advise of bin/bag allocation and asking residents to get in touch if they had concerns.

•  From May – October 2017  Waste Doctor visits  to residents who felt their property was unsuitable for wheeled bins or those requesting bigger bins.  Hundreds of visits and telephone consultations undertaken.

•  The Council’s recycling service brought in-house on 9th September 2017.  85 staff were TUPE’d across from Kier to B&NES council, along with plant, equipment and offices

•  The new service began on 6th November 2017

Publicity

•  An extensive communications plan “Together we can all make a difference” was implemented including a proactive campaign to encourage people to recycle more

•  106 Roadshow events & community group talks / Over 5000 people reached though face to face contact / 42,000 new recycling containers ordered

•  Waste doctors visited 491 properties to discuss personal arrangements

Education & Enforcement

•  Two temporary waste awareness officers employed

•  Since stopping side waste: 539 properties visited / 181 education letters issued / 665 Breech Notices issued / 8 intent to serves issued

•  Many of the bags being dumped were found to be commercial waste being passed off as domestic

•  9 Business issued with warning notice / 2 FPN’s issues for business leaving black sacks by litter bins / 80 new business waste customers

Key Objective – Achieve Financial Savings

•  End of the DCLG grant of £450K per annum to retain weekly black sack collections

•  18/19 Budget has been reduced by £450K to reflect this

Key Objective – Increase Recycling

2016/17 tonnes  2017/18 tonnes  Difference

Kerbside Recycling   17,975  20,099  +2,124

Food (included above)  4,153  5,323  +1,170

Domestic waste    27,815  23,311  -4,504

collected

  April/May 2017  April/May 2018  Difference

Kerbside  ...  view the full minutes text for item 23