Agenda item

Waste Services will be providing an update and taking questions on the planned changes to Bath waste collection services. 

Tim Rawlings, Waste Campaigns Manager for Bath and North East Somerset Council provided an overview of the changes that are being made to Waste Service collection in Bath from November 2017; this handout is included with the meeting minutes.   

A number of questions and points were raised by the forum:

1.  Councillor Peter Turner – What is happening with the trial of 70 litre bags in Alfred Street and will this be tested in flats in the wider area?

Response – We have learnt from the trial and it appears to have been a success.

2.  Councillor Lin Patterson – Where residents have asked for smaller containers, there has been an unwillingness to deal with the concerns and this has created ill will. Have all the people that raised concerns had a response?

Response – The allocation of containers has been dealt with using fair methods. These are based on the criteria where the container is appropriate for the property (both the current occupant and any future occupants). If somebody has raised an issue they have had a response. We will of course consider any new issues which residents have which have not been considered previously.

3.  Councillor Dine Romero – We are being told that the changes to collections will see increased recycling levels, how will this be achieved as no new materials are going to be collected?

Response – The limitation of how much rubbish residents can put out (contained within their bag or bin), will result in some people having to consider alternative ways to present their waste, which in turn will encourage more recycling. There is no limit on how much recycling can be put out and it is collected every week.

4.  Councillor Andrew Furse – Some residents have stated that they do not wish to have a wheelie bin delivered and are being told they have no choice. A further review is needed as there are conservation areas where bins on the edge of properties are not going to work well and weekly sack collections would be a better fit. (More information was needed on this point)

Response – When bins are being delivered we will be monitoring that they are not being left on the edge of properties for too long. Residents can opt out of the new service if they do not want a bin but this means they will not be able to put any rubbish out for collection and would have to take their rubbish to one of our recycling centres. If residents wish to opt out they can speak with one of our team by calling 01225 39 40 41. If residents were to change their mind they are likely to be charged for the delivery of the bin. Properties within the heritage area of Bath will have a weekly collection from a 70 litre re-usable rubbish bag to prevent the build-up of rubbish between collections.

5.  Councillor Joe Rayment – A policy that aims to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill should be welcomed. Could the projections for the expected savings be shared with this forum?

Response – The service change is preventing a significant increase in costs rather than reducing costs. For example there is a £450k grant from government which has stopped so we have to find a way of continuing the waste service without this funding. I will see if my colleagues are happy to share any further details of projected savings with the forum.

6.  Robin Kerr – Nowhere in the literature being given to residents is there instructions on how to reduce the levels of non-recyclable waste. Where too much waste is accumulating issues such as fly tipping and rats nesting start to increase. What can be done to improve this?

Response – We do have an effective enforcement policy on fly-tipping. Residents with a large quantity of waste are being proactively approached. Our literature going out in August and with the new containers shows in detail how to recycle, what to recycle, and how to sort it in boxes.

7.  Councillor Rob Appleyard – Out of the total 3,000 requests that were made from residents to have their options changed, who will be re-assessed post the change in policy? How is fly-tipping levels between now and after the changes going to be monitored?

Response – There is a targeted budget that is used to deal with the priorities that we are working towards. Council Connect collects data on fly tipping on the CRM system. Where assessments have been carried out we will give everybody a fair chance to put forward their points. There hasn’t been a change in policy and we haven’t changed any of the criteria used for decision making. We have been listening to residents’ concerns and making assessments based on practicalities of individual properties, where terrain prevents the use of a wheeled bin. We aren’t reassessing if there is no reason to.

8.  Michael Hill – The residents are being asked to recycle more, how are they going to know that extra boxes are available for them? It has not been clearly set out in the guidance how additional box request work, many residents just will not bother.

Response – Extra boxes simply have to be requested and they are delivered to resident with no extra charge.More information is being provided to residents and being delivered in September and with the bins and bags. Containers are free to be ordered on line, over the telephone or by email. Residents will soon also be able to collect them from our HWRCs if that’s easier for them.

9.  Councillor Patrick Anketell-Jones – There are many properties that have small petite gardens, the aesthetics of having a bin in the front will be terrible.

Response – We have had mixed reactions from residents, however we are keen for residents to give the new bins a try. We will make further assessments in exceptional cases where the resident comes back to us and says they can’t manage.

10.Councillor Richard Samuel – Having trialled a 70 litre sack over a two week period I have seen that it is possible to achieve meeting my needs with this size bag. Council has agreed that 140 litre bags can be changes to 70 litre if requested. Why can we not start with a 70 litre size?

Response - Our policy has not changed.  We will be delivering the allocated bag to properties and if resident do not manage with the 140 litre bag we can assess this after the start of the new service. If that is the case they will be able to take the 140l bag to a one stop shop and swap it for a 70 Litre bag.

11.Councillor Colin Blackburn – When will the new collection vehicles be brought into use and how will these reduce waste?

Response – We will see the new vehicle being used from November 2017. The methods for loading the vehicles will see efficiencies made. The vehicles themselves will not reduce waste, it will be the change in behaviours of some residents who will recycle.

12.One additional point that needed further clarification that was about the use of dustbins. Response: Our position is as follows: Residents that have been allocated a wheeled bin must use it. For residents that have been allocated a re-usable rubbish bag (only) they can use their dustbin instead. But we will only collect rubbish from one container (either the dustbin or re-usable rubbish bag).