Agenda item
Topical Item
To hold a discussion on waste and recycling in the borough.
Minutes:
Councillor Sheth, Lead Member for Environment and Chris Whyte, Operational Director of Environment Services, introduced the topical item on waste and recycling in the borough. Members noted that the Council had worked with Veolia to run its waste collection and street cleansing services since 2015, during which time they had gained a deep understanding of the borough. Performance levels over this time had been good, with Veolia consistently meeting street cleansing and waste collection targets, despite year on year cost reductions. There had been challenges during the pandemic, such as staff availability issues, yet Veolia had maintained a good and consistent level of service. It was noted that fly tipping remained an issue across the borough, although increased levels may in part be due to the efficiency of the reporting system.
The Committee was then invited to raise questions on the update provided, which focused on a number of key areas as highlighted below:
· It was noted that, in the year leading up to April 2020, there were around 44,000 reports of fly-tipping across the borough. From April 2020 to March 2021 the figure was around 31,000. It was thought that the decrease was largely due to residents and businesses being less active during the pandemic.
· In response to a question regarding the action being taken to reduce incidences of fly-tipping, it was noted that the Council carried out programmes of education, carried out visits to locations, conducted surveillance activities, placed signs upon lampposts to act as a deterrent and searched all waste dumped to find evidence that may lead to a fine or prosecution if the offender can be identified.
· Regarding the costs of fly-tipping to the Council, it was noted that the commercial build of the contract with Veolia was structured so that there were no additional costs in relation to waste collection. However, there was the possibility of additional costs for the disposal of waste should levels reach a threshold.
· It was noted that the free waste collection service was made chargeable to make savings. It had so far led to £250,000 of cost savings. It was felt that this change had made the service more efficient and more focused on those residents who needed it the most. Any resident who was in receipt of benefits would be entitled to one free collection per year.
· In response to a question regarding the impact of increased waste collection and disposal on Veolia, it was noted that increased costs in this area may impact performance in other areas. While there were no immediate concerns regarding this, it was recognised that, as a commercial organisation, Veolia would need to address any additional costs however it saw fit.
· It was noted that there were a number of types of waste collections, such as household waste and recycling, garden waste, hazardous waste and household clinical waste. It was recognised that alternative waste collection arrangements were needed for some residents, such as assisted bin collections for the elderly and disabled. Those that did not have access to a vehicle to dispose of waste at their local recycling centre and were unable to meet the cost of a special collection were encouraged to take advantage of their annual free collection if eligible, utilise the help of charities within the borough which offered waste collection services or request for the community skip to be placed in their area.
· It was noted that waste management services would be reviewed in 2023 and members were encouraged to engage with the review. Central government were also looking to implement new policy which would ask producers to take on a bigger role in disposing of their products, for example through ‘Take Back’ schemes.
· In response to a question regarding the operation of recycling sites during the pandemic, it was noted that they had remained open but were operating at a limited capacity to ensure compliancy with Covid-related restrictions and that appointments needed to be booked online. The Council had not received any complaints about appointments being unavailable and the recycling sites had been busy and used well.
· Regarding recycling facilities for blocks of flats, it was noted that over 300 flats across the borough had access to recycling facilities. The Council always sought to provide recycling facilities unless logistically unviable. Members were encouraged to contact the Housing Management Team if they felt that there were any blocks of flats that did not have access to recycling facilities in their ward.
· It was noted that public bins were no longer provided in residential areas. Public bins were still provided across all public parks in the borough, however the increased use of parks during the pandemic had led to many being overfilled. In such cases, arrangements had been made to provide more bins or more regular collections.
· In response to a question regarding how residents were kept updated on the recycling services available to them, it was noted that the Council communicated services to residents through a variety of means including leafleting, its website and Brent Magazine. Residents were also encouraged to use the contact centre should they have any specific queries or concerns.
· Regarding the implementation of the recommendations of the Fly-Tipping Scrutiny Task Group, it was noted that the Council had brought in a number of litter enforcement measures such as the creation of an in-house service for litter enforcement, the deployment of Neighbourhood Patrol Teams to hotspot areas and working partnerships with a number of community organisations such as residents’ associations.
· It was noted that the Council did not have a standalone policy on fly-tipping. Whilst it did have an established approach to fly-tipping, it was recognised that there could be value in having such a policy. Members suggested that this option be explored.
· In response to a question regarding cuts to the Environment department over the last few years, it was noted that the main areas of cuts reduction were residential sweeping, removal of residential bins, grass maintenance and the bulky waste service. These cost reductions were implemented after consultation and analysis and the overall impact had been managed successfully. In doing so, the department had been able to contribute to the corporate position in the face of austerity and the pandemic.
It was RESOLVED:
1. That the following areas for improvement be noted;
(i). To examine a proactive approach to fly tipping.
(ii). To improve communications regarding waste disposal for residents that live above businesses.
(iii). To monitor the reasons for the Council balancing budgets across services.
2. To make the following information requests;
(i). To provide contract management data for waste services over this financial year and the previous.
(ii). To provide a copy of the route map of fly tipping hotspots across the borough.
(iii). To provide a list of the charities offering waste collection across the borough.
(iv). To provide details on how many estates across the borough have recycling facilities including Kilburn.
(v). To set out an approach to how scrutiny can be involved in scoping the next waste disposal contract.
(vi). To provide details on how many council provided on-street bins are in the borough and how that number has changed over the past five years.