To set out for consideration by Cabinet the findings of the recent public consultation on the provision of residual and recycling collection services and the provision of services at the Council’s Household Waste Amenity Sites.

The Corporate Director Communities submitted a report, to set out for consideration by Cabinet the findings of the recent public consultation on the provision of residual and recycling collection services and the provision of services at the Council’s Household Waste Amenity Sites (HWAS).

By way of background, he explained that the Domestic Waste Collections Service and Household Waste Amenity Sites have been delivered via a contract for services since 2003 and 2004 respectively. These were however brought together in March 2010, following a competitive dialogue procurement exercise into a single integrated contract for the provision of waste and recycling services which was awarded at the time to May Gurney but was now operated by Kier.

Paragraph 3.3 of the report, outlined what the current collection service consisted of up until the end of the Contract in March 2017.

The next section of the report outlined discussions that had taken place with neighbouring authorities to look at forging closer working ties in the area of waste management, though these to date had not proved to be wholly successful.

The report then gave information in respect of Waste Services Model Options, and that it was incumbent upon the Authority, to in future years meet the Welsh Government (WG) recycling rates, as outlined in paragraph 4.2.1.2 of the report. The Corporate Director Communities advised that the Council were projected to fall below the current target rate set down by WG i.e. 58%, and if this proved to be the case it would be subject to the imposition of fines.

In order to increase recycling, a number of methods exist that can facilitate changes in the behaviour of the residents of BCBC to recycle more material, and these were exampled in paragraph 4.2.5 of the report.

Paragraph 4.2.7 of the report stated that the principle of restriction of residual waste is known to be by far the greatest driver for increasing recycling percentages, as was demonstrated by the increase in the Bridgend County recycling percentage when residual collections were changed to a fortnightly cycle. The Corporate Director Communities advised that Cabinet should note a 5% change in the Authority’s municipal solid waste stream from residual to recyclable waste would save circa £0.5m per annum based on current disposal costs.

The next section of the report gave information as to a public consultation undertaken that reviewed BCBC’s household waste and recycling service undertaken from the end of last year to the beginning of this and the outcomes of this. The following proposals were consulted upon in terms of reviewing BCBC’s household waste and recycling service:-

·         Proposal 1 – How the Council collects black bag household waste

·         Proposal 2 – Introducing an absorbent hygiene products collection service

·         Proposal 3 – Recycling black bag waste at household waste amenity sites

The Corporate Director Communities stated that detailed breakdowns of the results of the public consultation were attached to the report at Appendix A, while an extract of the information attached to each proposal was presented at Appendix B. This table provided Members with an overview of the findings of the public consultation. The Equality Impact Assessment was attached to the report at Appendix C. He added that subsequent paragraphs of the report gave the outcomes of the public consultation, and the Council’s observations on these suggestions, particularly in relation to an Absorbent Hygiene Products Waste Collection Service and Household Waste Amenity Sites.

The Corporate Director Communities then referred to the report’s financial implications and confirmed that the introduction of wheeled containers for residual waste would have a financial impact on the waste collection budget in the order of £2m over the term of the Contract. A further report on the outcome of the financial implications from the tendering process for the new waste services collection Contract would be placed before Cabinet for further consideration in due course.

The Cabinet Member Communities commended the report and the huge amount of work committed to the future consideration of Waste provision by Officers, and the considerable consultation processes that had been followed from which, 76% of those that had responded had supported the preferred option as detailed in the report. This option would assist the Authority reaching WG’s targets going forward in terms of recycling he added.

The Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Economic Development advised that the Council had to put in place ways to avert toxic and other undesirable forms of waste going to landfill sites, whilst the Cabinet Member Adult Social Care and Health and Wellbeing confirmed that the public still needed to be educated further about the methods of recycling different products of waste.

The Cabinet Member Children’s Social Services and Equalities  confirmed that it was positive to see absorption hygiene products being considered as part of future proposals for collection. She asked if the new Contract being pursued would include a clause that would assist disabled people to put out their waste, particularly if collection points were not situated immediately outside their properties.

The Corporate Director Communities confirmed that the Contract would have some provision for this for those that qualified for it.

The Deputy Leader concluded debate on this item, by stating that the wheelie bin option, whilst being a popular choice, would be a very expensive option that would increase year on year as recycling targets increased. He further added that householders needed to be discouraged from placing all different types of waste products for recycling in the same bag for landfill, as this was bad for the environment.

RESOLVED:                      That Cabinet:

1.    Considered the outcomes of the public consultation which was undertaken over an eight week period from 14 December 2015 to 8 February 2016.

2.    Gave approval to tender The Waste Collection Service Contract with the documentation prepared for a term of 7 years commencing on 1st April 2017 and the specification in that contract should be based upon the Cabinet’s resolutions in respect of this report.

3.    Approved the proposals to collect residual waste on a 2 weekly cycle, and to restrict the amount of residual waste collected from each household to 2 number sacks in line with the findings of the public consultation.

4.    Considered the outcomes, associated costs and consequences of the public consultation and attached information on the type of containment for use on the household waste collection service, and approved the use of sacks as opposed to wheeled bins as a method of residual waste containment.

5.    Approved the option of a change to the specification of the residual waste collection sacks, as a means of contributing towards compliance with the collection system.

6.    Approved the option of introducing an Absorbent Hygienic Products collection service to coincide with a restriction on the number of sacks that are collected, this is intended to support families and residents who use Absorbent Hygiene Products.

7.    Approved the renaming the Household Waste Amenity Sites as Community Recycling Centres, and approved the introduction of a policy for use at the Authority’s Community Waste Amenity Sites of asking the public to pre-sort any residual waste collection sacks waste into its recyclable components to minimise the residual waste arising at the sites.

8.    Delegated to the Corporate Director – Communities the power to take decisions on operational matters related to the delivery of various aspects of the service, and to approve and issue the tender documentation for the Waste Collection Service Contract in consultation with the Assistant Chief Executive Legal & Regulatory Services and the Section 151 Officer.

9.    Noted that Cabinet will receive a further report on the outcome of the tender process for the procurement of Waste Collection Service Contract and to seek Cabinet’s approval to award a contract as a result thereof.