Agenda item

This report provides an update on the development of a revised Waste Collection Strategy for Brent.

Chris Whyte (Head of Environment Management) introduced the report and answered questions from Councillors on the development of a revised Waste Collection Strategy for Brent. Chris Whyte reported that the review of the strategy was part of the wider review of waste and recycling, a gold project in the Council’s Improvement and Efficiency Strategy. The aim was to submit a draft strategy to the Council’s Corporate Management Team (CMT) in May and to the first available Executive meeting for decision. A period of consultation with the local community and other stakeholders would then start, and a revised strategy would be submitted for approval by Councillors towards the end of 2010, with a view to implementation in April 2011. Chris Whyte informed the Committee that David Pietropaoli (Waste Policy Manager), also present at the meeting, was developing the business plan, a key element of which had been a waste collection workshop with key advisers. The outcome had been a number of options carried forward for further appraisal. Consultants had been engaged to carry out this study, and were due to conclude by mid-March. The consultants’ conclusions would form the basis of the report to CMT and the Executive. Everything was on track for implementation in April 2011.

Asked about the diversity of collection systems used by local authorities, Chris Whyte informed the Committee that there were many ways of collecting waste, and there was no consistent national approach. It was clear in Brent that the current system of the green box was no longer adequate, in view of the need for more recycling capacity, to which Brent was committed.

In response to a suggestion that residents should be consulted at an earlier stage in the process, Chris Whyte told the Committee that the current stage was one of building up a clear knowledge base of best practice in order to be able to deliver a set of proposals for CMT and the Council’s Executive to offer to the public and other stakeholders. Cathy Tyson (Assistant Director – Policy) added that, in addition to the desirability of options to residents, the Council needed to balance methods of collection and disposal, and there were cost implications. Solutions might not necessarily be the same for all properties, although the aim was for the methods to be easy to use and value for money.

Asked about cross-boundary work with other boroughs, Chris Whyte reported that Brent was reliant on the West London Waste Authority, within which a programme of waste reduction and reuse was being co-ordinated across six London boroughs.

Chris Whyte told the Committee that fundamental changes in the strategy would be needed in order to generate the required £1.2m efficiency savings, and that many alternatives would be considered. Asked whether incentives would be provided for residents, Chris Whyte reported that he was confident that there would be policies on this. Responding to a question on compulsory recycling, Chris Whyte informed the Committee that the Council had been satisfied with its effectiveness and had not so far felt the need to prosecute anyone for failure to comply. He agreed that the message about compulsory recycling needed to be refreshed regularly, and that it needed to be clear that prosecution could be used as a last resort. The Council needed to be prepared to use this, but the experience so far had been that providing the message had been sufficient to ensure compliance. Asked how new residents gained information about compulsory recycling, Chris Whyte told the Committee that information was supplied by estate agents, as well as being included in Council Tax information sent to residents.

Responding to a question about recycling in schools, Chris Whyte reported that a good number of schools were set up for recycling. There was an active programme in schools, with two officers going into schools to encourage recycling and carry out waste audits.

The Committee asked that in future it be made clear in the titles of reports that the strategy applied to domestic waste, and that commercial waste was a completely separate issue.

RESOLVED:

that the report and members’ comments be noted.