Issue - meetings

Report of Chief Officer Environment & Place (report published on 14.5.25)

(Cabinet Member with Special Responsibility Councillor Hart )

Cabinet received a report from the Chief Officer Environment & Place to consider and approve a different delivery model for waste and recycling operations, to deliver the outcomes required by the governments national waste strategy.  The report was complimented by an informative power point presentation delivered by the Chief Officer.

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

Each option presented in the report has been investigated, modelled and forecast based through a number of pieces of work with a focus on a solution that offers an increase in recycling rate, operational efficiency, resident participation increase and financial benefit.

Option 1 would move the districts residual collection frequency to three weekly at the same time as introducing weekly food waste recycling. Wheelie bin investment could offer alternate fortnightly recycling frequencies for residents whilst offering increased capacity to recycle greater volumes. This option offers a potential financial saving with the reduction of fleet vehicles and associated costs. Modelling forecasts an increase in recycling rate but offers significant risk in regard to resident understanding and participation, and also regarding operational planning issues as it offers its complexities. This option, due to its complexities, offers risk with the number of missed, or none presented bins likely to increase at which point this would involve cost increases on collection.

Option 2 would see the district having waste frequencies that would include three weekly collections of residual and recycling streams, with weekly food waste recycling. It is modelled on wheelie bin recycling investment to increase capacity and recycling rate. It is understood that this option will offer a higher recycling rate for the district, offers operational planning benefits and is easy to understand for the resident. The cost of this option is similar to current operations and therefore doesn’t offer a financial efficiency.

Option 3 represents consideration to introduce food waste recycling weekly as mandated by government, but keep other collection methods as they are now, including boxes for recycling. Whilst this option will reduce the burden on the capital investment programme, it will stifle the district’s ability to increase its recycling rate, offer no incentive for residents to participate in food waste recycling and will work against the authorities’ priorities on zero waste to landfill.