Issue - meetings

Charges for Bins and Boxes

 

 

Meeting: 14/02/2012 - Cabinet (Item 91)

91 Charges for Bins and Boxes pdf icon PDF 100 KB

(Cabinet Member with Special Responsibility Councillor Smith)

 

Report of the Head of Environmental Services

Minutes:

(Cabinet Member with Special Responsibility Councillor Smith)

 

Cabinet received a report from the Head of Environmental Services to provide details of an option to introduce charges for wheeled bins and recycling boxes as part of the 2012/13 budget setting process.

 

The options, options analysis, including risk assessment and officer preferred option, were set out in the report as follows:

 

 

Option 1: Introduce a charge

Option 2: Don’t introduce a charge

Advantages

·         Fewer requests for bins.

·         Saves costs

·         Increased recycling rates.

·         Reduction in calls to Customer Service Centre.

·         Fewer receptacles left out in streets.

·         Maintains status quo

Disadvantages

·         Customer dissatisfaction

·         Increased administration to deal with payment

 

·         No control over supply of bins and boxes which then impacts on overall waste budget.

·         Does not encourage recycling

Risks

·         This option could lead to increased incidences of fly tipping

This option could lead to not achieving recycling and waste reduction targets.

 

Option 1 was the officer preferred option.  The introduction of charges to cover the costs of deliveries of wheeled bins and recycling boxes together with the associated administration would save costs, support our enforcement activities and potentially lead to enhanced recycling rates. 

 

Councillor Smith proposed, seconded by Councillor Bryning:-

 

“(1)      That Cabinet does not approve the introduction of charges to householders for the delivery of wheeled bins and recycling boxes as part of the 2012/2013 budget.

 

(2)        That the costs of replacing wheeled bins and recycling boxes be monitored and reported to Cabinet on a monthly basis and consideration given to the possibility of introducing such charges as part of the 2013/14 budget process if requests for replacement continue to rise.”

 

Councillors then voted:-

 

Resolved unanimously:

 

(1)        That Cabinet does not approve the introduction of charges to householders for the delivery of wheeled bins and recycling boxes as part of the 2012/2013 budget.

 

(2)        That the costs of replacing wheeled bins and recycling boxes be monitored and reported to Cabinet on a monthly basis and consideration given to the possibility of introducing such charges as part of the 2013/14 budget process if requests for replacement continue to rise.

 

 

Officers responsible for effecting the decision:

 

Head of Environmental Services

 

Reasons for making the decision:

 

The Council has a statutory duty to collect household waste.  The anticipated savings which the introduction of charging for replacement bins and boxes would provide was not considered essential to this year’s budget proposals. The decision provides an opportunity to raise public awareness of the costs of replacing these receptacles and through monitoring the requests for replacements on a monthly basis Cabinet can give consideration to introducing such charges as part of the 2013/14 budget process if requests for replacement continue to rise.