Agenda item

To consider the report of the Head of Environmental Health Services – report circulated

Councillor Winterbottom attended the meeting and spoke on this item having given notice under Standing Order No. 44.

The Head of Environmental Health Services presented the report setting out an estimated cost of returning all households to a weekly residual collection and highlighting associated implications.

Councillor Winterbottom referred to the Special Meeting of this Committee held on 11 January 2011 as a result of the difficulties in refuse collection experienced over the Christmas period due to weather conditions at which he had proposed a Council tax increase of £2 a month to meet the extra cost of reintroducing a weekly collection. He enlarged on this suggested solution, the £2 relating to a Band D household with increases of £1.78 and £1.56 for Band C and D properties respectively also proposed, as he believed that C and D properties were largely terraced properties which would benefit most from weekly collections. He also stated that such an increase would represent approximately 1.6% of the total Council tax paid. With the introduction of a waste to energy plant he maintained that, as there would be less landfill, there would be a reduction in disposal costs.

He felt that weekly collections would have environmental benefits as such a regime was more suitable to temperate climates such as the UK and stated that the National Association of Pest Controllers had identified an increase in rats in urban areas over recent years, partly attributable to the increase in household waste. He also stated that there should be an associated small increase in employment opportunities and that the Government was in favour of weekly collections. He requested that a survey be undertaken via the Exeter Citizen on increasing the Council Tax on the basis suggested to fund the reintroduction of a weekly collection.

The Head of Environmental Health Services confirmed that research had shown substantial increases in recycling associated with an alternate weekly collection. A £2 a month increase in Council Tax would still equate to an increase of nearly 20% for City Council tax payers, which would far exceed the Government cap on Council tax rises. In addition, there would still be significant costs to the Council tax payer associated with the gate fee payable for waste taken to the waste to energy plant.

There was support from some Members for a survey. One Member suggested that environmental improvements would be most noticeable in those properties where black bins were collected from back alleys. Here, rubbish was sometimes left out for up to 10 days, one of the associated problems being difficulty of access for those with bicycles and prams. Other Members opposed the proposal and stated that the majority of the top 30 recycling Councils and, all in the top 10, operated an alternate weekly collection regime and that recycling rates were higher when residual collections were every two weeks. He also stated that the media often focussed on bad news stories. A Member queried the accuracy of any survey undertaken in the manner suggested, stating that she had experience in such surveys and a newspaper survey would only attract a 5% return at most, with any returns being dominated by the “motivated disgruntled”, rather than the satisfied majority. Reference was made to the proposal in the Localism Bill for local authorities to pay EU fines which could apply if the level of biodegradable landfill material did not meet EU standards.

The motion to undertake a survey was put to the vote and lost.

Scrutiny Committee - Community noted the report.

(Report circulated)