Agenda item

To consider the report of the Assistant Director Environment.

The Cleansing and Fleet Manager and Assistant Director Environment updated Members on the current performance in waste reduction and recycling, and the reasons for current trends. The report provided an update on progress on the annual Recycling Plan, and sought ongoing support and suggestions from Scrutiny for recycling initiatives.

The Cleansing and Fleet Manager gave a presentation and referred to Exeter’s recycling rate of 33.3%, (48.4% when Exeter’s recycling rate from Exeter’s  2 Recycling Centres was included) against the aspiration to reach a UK recycling target of 50% by 2020. He provided a breakdown of the categorised waste for Exeter as well as comparison with other Devon District Council for 2015/16, and the previous year.  His team were continually making efforts to educate the public on recycling and used a range of social marketing techniques, including articles in the Council’s newspaper, ‘The Exeter Citizen’,  (e.g. the next feature includes recycling tips through the festive period). The income derived from recycling could fluctuate weekly and  market  prices per tonne could be obtained for a range of recyclable materials including plastic, steel cans, aluminium cans, clear, green and brown glass, paper, card and scrap metal.  Income from material sales and recycling credits exceeds the operating cost of the Council’s Materials Reclamation Facility, so recycling generates a net income. He confirmed that a separate food waste collection was being examined, and this would significantly contribute towards the city’s recycling rate.  The consultant’s report would be completed by the end of December, with a business case presented to Members for consideration in the New Year. 

Exeter’s challenges to encourage recycling included:-

·         the transient population living in flats or in Houses of Multiple Occupation (HMO).  Often there can be a lack of ownership for the management of household waste, with many of the grey bins containing material that could have been recycled. The team worked hard to educate communities, e.g. working with the University and Guild to visit student properties at the beginning of term to ensure that tenanted households were equipped with the correct facilities and knowledge to recycle.   The team also continued to target the worst or persistent problem areas and, when required, worked within an enforcement regime; and 

·         the urban nature of Exeter, which resulted in a smaller garden waste collection tonnage compared to more rural areas - but more positively, brown bin waste still made up 7% of the recycling rate, with over 300 brown bin customers being added to the current 8500 each year;

·         the current lack of a food waste collection.  Food waste makes up 36% of the waste currently sent for disposal.  The Council has expressed a preference for introducing food waste collection and a business case is being prepared, due for completion in December 2016.

The Cleansing and Fleet Manager also responded to Members’ questions:-

·         the implementation of a food waste collection would include a combination of a standard caddy to hold the daily food waste and larger receptacle for a weekly food collection.  The rigid plastic caddies had lockable lids, and were more resistant to seagulls or other animals. The scheme could also include food waste being disposed of in its original plastic packaging or contained in an inner plastic bag for transfer to the larger collection box. The scheme would be costed against the waste disposal savings formula as part of a supporting business case.

·         it was planned to run a series of workshops with key stakeholders and involve Exeter Food Network to promote more recycling and food waste reduction. 

·         currently, clothing cannot be recycled in the green bins, but Salvation Army bring-banks provided a mutually useful opportunity to recycle clothes. The Salvation Army collected the clothes to sell and were able to use our sites, but the figure did contribute towards the City’s recycling rate.  The Salvation Army has indicated a willingness to increase the number of textile banks.

·         to install recycling banks in a particular ward, constraints included being on a particular gradient, not too close to residential properties, accessible for the collection lorry, and being able to obtain the necessary permission from the Local Highways Authority to site the bank on pavements.  

·         the new post of the recycling officer had been filled and the officer would start very shortly.

·         there were 61 permanent waste and recycling collection staff and, on a typical day, the average number of agency staff required to cover for sickness, was three, with half of any absences covered by permanent staff.  The sickness rate and subsequent use of agency staff, had reduced significantly. The Assistant Director Environment added that, by the very nature, any agency staff used for sickness cover had to be arranged at short notice.  Two additional permanent posts had been secured to alleviate the need for agency staff.  He made an open invitation for Members to visit the Materials Reclamation Facility (MRF), or go out with the waste collection crew or meet them on route within their ward. 

The Chair suggested it would be helpful to break down the recycling rate by ward and look at areas where there were low levels of recycling. The Cleansing and Fleet Manager confirmed that they were due to introduce new software to monitor the Weighbridge operation at Exton Road. It will more easily record an accurate breakdown of waste and recycling loads per round drilling down into the figures and enabling the team to specifically target areas of the city. Responding to a Member’s question, he stated that the weighbridge was accurate within a 20 kilo margin. 

Place Scrutiny Committee noted the current trends on waste reduction and recycling, and supports the ongoing actions planned for 2016/17 that are described in this report.