CYNGOR SIR POWYS COUNTY COUNCIL. CABINET 6 th October Portfolio Holder for Waste and Recycling

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1 CYNGOR SIR POWYS COUNTY COUNCIL. CABINET 6 th October 2015 REPORT AUTHOR: SUBJECT: County Councillor John Powell Portfolio Holder for Waste and Recycling Three Weekly Residual Waste Collections REPORT FOR: Decision 1.0 Summary 1.1 Powys County Council is committed to maximising the effectiveness of how we collect and treat waste. The new kerbside recycling collection service across the whole of Powys has been fully rolled out since January 2015, with many areas having received the service since In addition to this, the provision of Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) has been retendered to ensure that recycling and reuse is maximised from these sites. This is to facilitate Powys meeting the stringent statutory targets set by the Welsh Government, which for 2015/16 is 58%. Failure to meet these targets will potentially result in considerable fines to the authority of 200 per tonne for each tonne below the target, as well as reputational damage. 1.2 The Council has worked closely with the Welsh Government as part of its Collaborative Change Programme to improve recycling and has worked to the Welsh Government s blue print as specified in its Municipal Sector Plan. This blueprint specifies a weekly kerbside sort of recyclable materials along with a separate food collection also weekly. 1.3 The statutory targets for recycling become progressively more challenging rising to 64% in 2019/20 and 70% in 2024/25. In order to achieve these targets and avoid the substantial fines, further measures will need to be taken, one option being the collection of residual waste on a three weekly basis. A recent, independent, compositional analysis of residual waste has shown that there is still a substantial element of recyclable material in the residual waste stream which can be diverted to the weekly recycling collection. 1.4 In the Medium Term Financial Strategy , agreed in principle by Council on 11 th February 2015, the option of moving to a three weekly residual collection service was proposed. There was a requirement that the proposal would need to be worked up in greater detail before being considered for approval by Cabinet. 1.5 Following the consultation process, the provision of a separate collection service for Absorbent Hygiene Products (AHPs) such as nappies and incontinence pads has been costed and incorporated into the options. 1

2 2.0 Background 2.1 All authorities in Wales face stringent statutory Welsh Government targets regarding the amount of municipal waste that they are required to recycle. The target since 2012/13 has been 52%, with Powys achieving this for 2014/15 with a rate of 52.06%. The target for the current year (2015/16) is 58%, a significant increase from 52% requiring an additional 4000 tonnes to be diverted from landfill and instead recycled. This represents a considerable challenge for the authority. 2.2 The statutory target increases further to 64% in 2019/20 and 70% in 2024/25. To reach these targets and maintain the 58% in the interim period will require a substantial shift in public attitude towards waste and recycling and also potential changes to how the Council provides these services. 2.3 Between 2011 and 2015, the new kerbside recycling service was rolled out and now all households have access to a convenient way of maximising the amount of waste that they recycle. Glass, paper and cardboard, and plastics and tins are all now collected weekly at the kerbside. Furthermore the same vehicles provide a weekly collection of food waste which is the element of household waste which can cause issues due to its putrescible nature. 2.4 In conjunction with the rollout of the weekly kerbside service, the residual waste was changed to a fortnightly collection with residents provided with a wheeled bin where possible or alternatively the equivalent capacity in purple sacks. Kerbside recycling contributed 7.6% of the total municipal waste before the rollout. This has now increased to 22%. Whilst this does represent a significant improvement, there is still a long way to go to maintain the present and achieve the future statutory targets. 2.5 A compositional analysis of residual waste was carried out on behalf of the Welsh Government for all authorities during July and August of For Powys, this has shown that 32.81% of material in the residual waste stream could actually be recycled at the kerbside. The majority of this is food waste (21.83%) with the remainder being glass, paper and card, plastics and cans. This equates to over 7089 tonnes in a year which costs the Council nearly 600k in landfill tax alone. Furthermore, if all this material was captured for recycling, the overall recycling rate would increase by 10.5%. 2.6 It is of note that during September 2015 a residents satisfaction survey was conducted by telephone with just over 800 residents across the county. 79% of respondents stated they were either very or fairly satisfied with their refuse collection service. Similarly 78% were very or fairly satisfied with the kerbside recycling services offered. Council tenants, residents aged 65+ and those with a disability rated the recycling service slightly higher at 85%, 82% and 81% respectively. Residents with children and under the age of 45 were slightly less satisfied overall with 75% and 71% respectively. 2.7 The analysis also showed that a further 17.96% of the residual waste collected at the kerbside could have been recycled at the Household Waste Recycling Centres. Even taking into account the fact that such compositional analysis are on a limited 2

3 sample of the population, there is clearly a considerable potential to reduce the residual waste put out for collection and increase recycling among the residents of Powys. 2.8 The Council currently faces unprecedented challenges in terms of the management of its finances with a requirement to make savings of 27 million across all services over the next three years. This includes a proposed 50% reduction in the net controllable budget for the Highways Transport and Recycling service. 2.9 At the full Council meeting on 11 th February 2015, the Medium Term Financial Strategy was agreed in principle which included a proposal to review the domestic waste collections and move to a three weekly residual collection. The proposed savings were 250k in the first year (part year 14/15), rising to 500k in the second year (full year 15/16). These savings were based on the reduction in collection rounds and associated vehicles and crews along with a reduction in material sent to landfill. Whilst the strategy was accepted in principle, it was noted that as the savings target had only recently been identified, these proposals would need to be worked up in greater detail before being considered by Cabinet Since this time the option of three weekly collections has been considered in greater depth with knowledge obtained from other authorities who have already implemented such a service. Gwynedd County Council in their Dwyfor district, have recorded increases in their recycling of food waste and dry recyclables of 30% and 13% respectively. At the same time they have seen a 22% decrease in residual waste collected at the kerbside following the introduction of three weekly collections. Other authorities such as Bury, Falkirk and the Somerset Waste Partnership have all achieved similar results. Three weekly collections are currently also being rolled out in Blaenau Gwent and have been implemented or are being considered by a number of different authorities in Wales and across the rest of the UK A consultation exercise was undertaken and around 1800 comments and views were received. The exercise asked the public a series of questions around both the recycling and refuse collection service, how they felt they would manage and what extra capacity may be required if their household had particular needs, for example for nappies or incontinence waste The key findings are attached in Appendix 2. Overall the majority of respondents find the current weekly recycling service easy to use and rate themselves as willing recyclers who do their bit. There was some evidence to suggest residents were unaware that they could request additional recycling boxes if they needed/wanted them to boost their recycling There was an interest from households who have children in nappies or those with incontinence waste for a separate collection service. A large percentage of these same residents were not sure they could then cope with their current wheeled bin in terms of capacity and waste created When all respondents were asked to consider their own circumstances and express a view about three weekly collections, those residents who stated their bin was only currently a quarter or half full were fairly confident they could cope and had few concerns. In total around one in five respondents (336 of the 1694 who answered 3

4 this question felt they would move onto the service without any concerns). The reminder did express concerns. On further analysis some of these were not specifically about the service moving to a three weekly timeframe but about mitigations being offered and ensuring residents could recycle everything they could and get extra boxes if needed. A number of concerns were raised around vermin, increased fly tipping, space and storage issues for both bins and purple sacks, confusion around a 3 weekly cycle and the smell of waste Depending on the option selected, annual revenue savings of between 319k and 482k could be achieved by moving to a three weekly residual collection service The views and comments expressed have helped the service consider further the mitigation options. The results from this consultation process have also been used to undertake a detailed Single Integrated Impact Assessment. 3.0 One Powys Plan 3.1 One of the key priorities of the One Powys Plan is remodelling council services to respond to reduced funding. 4.0 Options Considered/Available 4.1 Option 1 No change to residual collection frequency remain fortnightly This option would involve no change to the existing collection frequency, i.e. fortnightly. There would be no savings realised if this option were chosen and furthermore it would make it considerably more challenging to reach the statutory Welsh Government targets which could potentially result in fines ( 200 for each tonne below the target). A number of councils that intend to stay with a fortnightly collection are considering reducing residual waste capacity by issuing smaller wheeled bins. This would require a significant capital investment estimated at 900k plus delivery costs. 4.2 Option 2 Implement a three weekly residual collection service The implementation of this option would increase our recycling levels and contribute to achieving the Welsh Government statutory recycling targets and avoid the significant fines. It would also result in a projected saving of 482k per annum, based on reduced operational costs as well as savings associated with diverting waste from landfill. This option would require a comprehensive communications strategy to inform and offer advice to residents about what they can and cannot recycle, how to obtain extra recycling boxes, use of their food caddy, purchase a compost bin, and reduce concerns around the issue of Absorbent Hygiene Products (AHPs), i.e. nappies and incontinence pads, being stored for up to three weeks. 4.3 Option 3 Implement a three weekly collection service with a separate collection of AHP waste for recycling This option is as Option 2, but with a new service to collect AHPs on a fortnightly basis for recycling. This would mitigate against the perceived issue of storing this 4

5 material for up to three weeks, but would also provide minor additional tonnage towards the statutory recycling targets (approximately 37% of separately collected AHPs are recyclable). There is, however, a considerable cost to collecting and processing this material separately. The outlets for recycling AHPs are currently limited which does mean that there is little competition within the market place to drive down gate fees. Taking into account the cost of this service, the annual projected savings for this option are reduced to 319k. It should be noted that the actual cost of delivering the service will depend on take up and if popular could increase beyond the estimated costs and reduce the savings further. 4.4 Table 1 below provides the risks and benefits along with the estimated capital and revenue costs of these options. 4.5 For all options it is proposed that we clarify the kerbside collection service that is provided by the authority through the provision of an updated policy included in Appendix 1. 5

6 Table 1 Options risks / benefits / costs Option Benefits Risks Capital Requirements Revenue Implications 1) No change to residual collection frequency remain fortnightly No impact on residents No additional capital requirement Savings identified in Medium Term Financial Strategy will not be achieved resulting in a requirement to find the savings from elsewhere in the Highways, Transport and Recycling service Welsh Government targets may not be achieved resulting in significant fines, circa 135k for each percentage point below the targets No savings would be achievable with this option Potential costs of fines for failure to reach targets 2) Implement a three weekly residual collection service Savings identified in Medium Term Financial Strategy will be achieved More material will be diverted from landfill to recycling helping the authority to achieve the statutory recycling targets and avoid fines Scope for residents to recycle more and receive extra recycling boxes on request. Contributes to the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act which comes into force April 2016 around the principle of global responsibility for our resources. Residents required to change behaviour which will require a comprehensive communications strategy Perceived issue of AHPs being stored for up to three weeks Requirement for additional wheeled bins and purple sacks/recycling containers to accommodate requests for additional capacity 120k for additional containers (Welsh Government grant money potentially available) Annual projected saving of 482k 3) Implement a three weekly collection service with a separate collection of AHP waste for recycling Some savings achieved More material will be diverted from landfill to recycling helping the authority to achieve the statutory recycling targets and avoid fines If all AHPs in the residual waste stream were recycled, potentially 1.5% could be added to the recycling Reduced requirement for additional containers Perceived issue of AHPs being stored for up to three weeks fully addressed Residents required to change behaviour which will require a comprehensive communications strategy Full savings identified in Medium Term Financial Strategy will not be achieved resulting in a requirement to find the savings from elsewhere in the Highways, Transport and Recycling service 80k for additional containers (Welsh Government grant money potentially available) 163k to provide separate fortnightly AHP collection Annual projected net saving of 319k 6

7 5.0 Preferred Choice and Reasons 5.1 Option 2 - Implement a three weekly residual collection service. 5.2 This is the only option that can achieve the savings identified in the Medium Term Financial Strategy. 5.3 A separate collection of Absorbent Hygiene Products has been considered but due to the geographical spread of Powys and the costs of processing, the cost of implementing this service is prohibitively expensive. 5.4 The issue of storing AHPs and other non-infectious clinical waste will need to be managed through the provision of additional storage capacity and a comprehensive communications campaign which will include advice from the Waste Awareness Advisers who can and will visit households to assess their needs and offer reassurance and advice on how best to manager their waste A kerbside waste and recycling collection policy has been produced to clarify how the service will work and is provided in Appendix Sustainability and Environmental Issues/Equalities/Crime and Disorder,/Welsh Language/Other Policies etc. 6.1 A consultation was carried out during August to allow residents to help shape the service with just under 1800 responses received. The results of this consultation are attached as Appendix The main concerns were regarding keeping waste for three weeks with the perceived problem of odour and vermin, and the capacity for residual waste. 6.3 A Single Integrated Impact Assessment (attached as Appendix 3) has been carried out which shows that the only sector of the population that may be adversely affected is those required to use AHPs or colostomy bags. The Council does provide additional capacity in certain circumstances and will continue to do so, particularly as regards residents who require collections of this type of waste. 6.5 The proposal does not impact on Crime and Disorder, Welsh Language and other policies. 7.0 Children and Young People s Impact Statement Safeguarding and Wellbeing 7.1 The proposal does not impact on securing the safety and protection of children and young people and supporting the promotion of their wellbeing. 8.0 Local Members 8.1 All Members will be affected by the proposal as it will affect all residents in Powys. 7

8 8.2 A number of enquiries have been received from Members and these have been responded to throughout the consultation process. 9.0 Other Front Line Services 9.1 The proposal will have an impact on the operations of the waste and recycling operations teams as there will be a reduced requirement for manpower. There will not be a need for any redundancies, however, as any change will simply reduce the reliance on third party contractors to cover for any labour shortfalls Support Services (Legal, Finance, HR, ICT, BPU) 10.1 Finance The finance team have been fully involved in the estimated savings contained within the report Legal The recommendations can be supported from a legal point of view Procurement The procurement requirements for the preferred option is noted Human Resources - Any implications on the workforce the will be managed using Powys County Council s Management of Change policy Business Support have been consulted on the proposals and are liaising with the Communications Team to ensure a smooth implementation if the decision is made to implement three weekly residual collections Local Service Board/Partnerships/Stakeholders, etc There is no direct impact on the Council s partners and stakeholders Communications 12.1 Extensive communications will be carried out before and after implementation. The communication plan is attached as Appendix The view of the Senior Communications Manager is - The report is of considerable public interest and requires a proactive news release and use of social media to publicise the recommendation/decision as part of a wider communications strategy Statutory Officers 13.1 The Solicitor to the Council (Monitoring Officer) has commented as follows: I note the legal comment and have nothing to add to the report. 8

9 13.2 The Section 151 Officer has comments as follows: The Strategic Director Resources (S151 Officer) notes the comments made by finance and the contribution to the Council`s overall savings requirement is also noted Members Interests 14.1 The Monitoring Officer is not aware of any specific interests that may arise in relation to this report. If Members have an interest they should declare it at the start of the meeting and complete the relevant notification form The consultation and proposed communication on 3 weekly collections was considered at the Waste Strategy Group Meeting which will report to the Place committee on the 2 nd of October. Recommendation: To implement a three weekly residual collection service as per Option 2 To approve the kerbside waste and recycling policy attached as Appendix 1 Reason for Recommendation: To increase our recycling levels and contribute to achieving the Welsh Government statutory recycling targets and avoid the significant fines. To achieve the savings proposed in the Medium Term Financial Strategy To ensure that a clear standard service is provided for all Powys residents Relevant Policy (ies): One Powys Plan Within Policy: Yes Within Budget: Yes Relevant Local Member(s): All Person(s) To Implement Decision: Nigel Brinn Date By When Decision To Be Fully Implemented: November 2016 Contact Officer Name: Tel: Nigel Brinn nigel.brinn@powys.go.uk Appendices Appendix 1 Kerbside Collection Policy Appendix 2 Consultation Report Appendix 3 Single Integrated Impact Assessment Appendix 4 Communications Plan 9