The report of the Head of Environmental Health Services was submitted, seeking approval to provide a trade waste recycling collection service in order to meet legal and customer requirements.
Scrutiny Committee – Community considered the report at their meeting on 4 September 2007 and the support and comments of members were noted. Executive endorsed the Committee’s recognition of the valuable service provided by Paperchain in the collection of waste paper and cardboard and their hope that this proposal would have no adverse effect on their service. The Director Community and Environment reported that this service complemented that provided by Paperchain and Paperchain would be promoted by the Council alongside the new scheme. She also confirmed that traders would be able to choose the frequency of their recycling collection.
Executive members welcomed the proposed recycling collections and supported the proposal to initially run the scheme as a pilot to gauge the likely take-up of the facility. They were disappointed that recycling credits were not available for trade waste as they were for domestic waste but requested that records be maintained of the tonnage dealt with nevertheless.
Noting the options available and for the reasons stated in the report, Executive resolved that:-
(1) the provision of a separate recycling collection service to trade customers be approved as part of a six month pilot commencing in October 2007; initially, the service will include the weekly collection of paper and cardboard only, but if successful, the service may be expanded to include other recyclables;
(2) the hire of a vehicle for six months and the appointment of two temporary crew members for a six month period be approved;
(3) a provisional charge of £3.00 per week per customer be approved as an across-the board fixed fee for the collection of recyclables once a week, with every additional collection charged at the same rate for the purposes of the pilot scheme;
(4) during the pilot, the provisional change may be altered by agreement by the Head of Service and Portfolio Holder for Environment and Leisure;
(5) on the pilot proving successful following review in Quarter 4, 2007/08, and subject to approval of a suitable budget, the Head of Environmental Health Services, with the agreement of the Portfolio Holders for Environment and Leisure and Business Transformation and Human Resources, purchases either:
· a new purpose built kerbside sorting vehicle at a capital cost of £100,000 and annual revenue cost of £50,000 (two person crew); or
· purchases two smaller vehicles at a total capital cost of £100,000 and an annual revenue cost of £100,000 (2 x two person crew);
dependant upon the demand from trade customers and sufficient income derived to support the option;
(6) the appointment of a temporary admin support office (Grade 3 – subject to job evaluation) be approved for a six month period to input necessary data changes to trade customer records at a cost of £10,112; and
(7) records be kept of the additional recycling tonnage collected through the scheme.