Agenda item

This matter is the responsibility of the Leader Councillor Federica Smith-Roberts.

The purpose of the report is to seek approval of the Somerset Waste Partnership’s Draft Business Plan 2020-2025, annual budget 2020-2021 and variations to the Inter-Authority Agreement to align it with the new collection contract.  Subject to agreement by all partner authorities, these will then be finalised at the February meeting of the Somerset Waste Board.

Resolved that the Executive approved:-

1)    The Somerset Waste Partnership’s Draft Business Plan 2020-25;

2)    The projected budget for 2020-21 subject to the finalisation of the figures; and

3)    The variations to the Inter-Authority Agreement.

During the discussion, the following points were raised:-

·         Councillors emphasised the importance of the schemes carried out by Somerset Waste Partnership (SWP) and how it fed into the work on climate change.

·         Concern was raised on the 3 weekly cycle for waste collections, especially for those who lived in blocks of flats and had no means to store the waste.  Councillors urged officers to support those who lived in flats to enable them to recycle.

·         Councillors requested assurance that the new waste scheme would be communicated properly to customers to ensure maximum uptake of the scheme.

The Director of SWP confirmed that they had worked hard to ensure that communications were ready to be rolled out in advance of the new recycling schedule and would be sent out in phases to residents.  The new sacks would also be delivered on the first day of the new regime and tags would be placed on the existing containers with the new details.  Officers would go out on the rounds to check and knock on resident’s doors to guide them on what to do.

·         Councillors requested clarification on the food waste figures included within the report.

Clarification was given.

·         Councillors were surprised to hear that the carbon levels produced were higher for food waste than plastics.

·         Councillors queried which residents were the least likely to change over to the new recycling regime.

The Director of SWP advised that residents who lived in flats were challenged due to the nature of the building, the lack of storage areas and that they would need a bespoke system to enable them to recycle.

·         Councillors queried whether SWT was still assisting the contractors with the loan for the new vehicles required for the scheme.

The Director of SWP advised that a procurement process had been set up for bidders to set up capital funding for the vehicles.

·         Councillors queried when cameras would be installed on the waste vehicles.

Cameras were placed on the vehicles primarily for crew safety and were then used to monitor windblown litter and could be used as a handheld device to gather evidence for missed collections and contamination issues.

·         Councillors queried whether overnight collections were being looked into as an option.

No that had not been looked into.

·         Concern was raised over plastic waste and the missed opportunity to recycle more.  Councillors queried the increased cost and whether the figures within the report were for SWT only and had been included in the Medium Term Financial Plan.

SWP were trying to keep the recycling within the UK which could have cost implications.

·         Concern was raised on the carbon footprint as a result of sending some recycling abroad.

The Director of SWP advised that as much as they tried to keep as much within the UK, it was a global industry.

·         Councillors queried the rollout of Electric Vehicles (EV) for waste collections.

The Director of SWP advised that due to the lack of supporting infrastructure within the district, the rollout of EV had been delayed.  Work was needed in the rural areas to support the introduction of EV usage.

·         Councillors thanked the SWP for their work on recycling.

Resolved that the Executive approved:-

1)    The Somerset Waste Partnership’s Draft Business Plan 2020-25;

2)    The projected budget for 2020-21 subject to the finalisation of the figures; and

3)    The variations to the Inter-Authority Agreement.