Agenda item

To scrutinise matters in relation to Waste Collection and Recycling Services as part of the Council Plan 2023-28 – A Green Gwynedd.

Resolved:

1.     To accept the report, noting the observations made during the discussion.

2.     To recommend to the Cabinet Member for Environment that:

·       consideration should be given to intensifying training / campaigns to educate on the importance of recycling.

·       consideration should be given to introducing penalties for failure to recycle appropriately.

 

The report was presented by the Cabinet Member for the Environment and the Assistant Head of Environment Department. They highlighted the following main points.

 

It was reported that the Department was currently working to develop a Waste Strategy and was taking an ambitious approach to solve problems. It was recognised that Governments' targets such as the target of recycling 70% of all waste in the county, were very challenging to meet.

 

It was confirmed that the Department had adapted the operational structure of waste collection arrangements into two parts to improve performance. It was explained that the South area operated for Dwyfor and Meirionnydd with the North serving Arfon. It was reported that changing the operational structure had improved the service's performance. Similarly, they reminded members that the Bartec system was used by the Department to dynamically adjust routes according to the operational needs of the service. They highlighted that members would receive a presentation on how these systems assist the department at the Council's Area Forums later this year. Similarly, it was reported that the installation of a camera system on the collection vehicles had also helped to improve visibility for the work of staff, improve health and safety and introduced the ability to respond to complaints with robust evidence.

 

It was explained that a consultation had recently taken place as part of developing the Waste Strategy. They noted that 1,245 responses had been received to the consultation. They reported that 62% of respondents indicated that their residual waste bin was only about three-quarters full or less at the end of the 3-week period. They elaborated that 15% of respondents stated that they were unable to cope with the current capacity of the bin and the collection schedule as it was full before the collection day. They noted that re-assessing the collection frequency and the size of residual bins were adjustments they could implement to support the Council in meeting the target of recycling 70% of waste. It was emphasised that the Department was working with WRAP Cymru (Waste and Resources Action Programme) to research the actual difference that changing this would make.

 

The members were reminded that the Department had begun trialling the use of hessian sacks instead of the recycling cart, reporting that the results of that trial were relatively successful. It was noted that they planned to carry out trials in other areas of the county before the summer. They explained that the sacks were cheaper than the 'cartgylchu' (recycling cart) and would allow residents more recycling capacity if the Council decided to recycle more goods such as soft plastics.

 

They confirmed that work continued to improve residents' behaviours towards recycling and stated that a letter would be sent to every household in the County over the next week to improve recycling in Gwynedd. In considering enforcement issues within the waste service, it was confirmed that enforcement actions could not be carried out if households over-produced waste unless it led to issues such as fly-tipping.

 

They were pleased that the service's overspend position had improved but recognised that there was room for improvement to be in a position of a balanced budget. They were proud that the service's performance was improving while the overspend in the budget was decreasing, and also stressed that work was going on to try to reduce that overspend further.

 

It was acknowledged that the Department's focus had been on the waste collection and recycling service, noting that they had work to do to improve the bin distribution service. This had been highlighted within a recent consultation where several comments had been made that this service needed to be improved. It was emphasised that the service would be managed by a new Manager within the Department to ensure that this service received attention for the future.

 

During the discussion, the following observations were made by the Members:-

 

Concern was expressed that the Council had failed to meet the Government's target of recycling 70% of waste this year, and it was asked how much of a fine the Council faced and how other services were negatively impacted as a result. In response to the enquiries, the Assistant Head of Department emphasised that a significant change was required to meet this target and acknowledged that the Council would not manage to do so in the short term. He reminded members of the need to assess the frequency of collections or the size of residual bins in order to meet this target and that discussions were taking place with other Local Authorities to gain insight into the success of this change. He confirmed that, presently, the Council had not been fined for not meeting the target but warned that it could be up to £600,000 in costs. It was emphasised that the Council was in regular discussions with the Government, and it was hoped that demonstrating plans to ensure that Gwynedd met the 70% target would satisfy them, and that the Council would not receive a fine.

 

There was a discussion about the timing of waste collections, with some Members believing that collections were taking place too early in the morning and caused noise and disturbance to residents, while others were pleased that they were collected early in the morning. In response to the discussion, the Assistant Head explained that the service's staff worked from 6:00 a.m. until 1:45 p.m. and that no complaints had reached the service from the public or members of staff stating that the routes were taking place too early in the morning. He added that the intention was to ensure that collections were made early in the morning so that no difficulties arose as residents travelled to work or school and that the bins could be put away before they left the house in some cases so that they were not blown away or damaged.

 

A member commented that a number of shops and supermarkets accepted plastics and pet food packaging for recycling, and asked the Department to ensure that they also investigated these to ensure that they were recycled effectively by Gwynedd homes.

 

In response to an enquiry regarding the contamination rate of recyclable materials, the Assistant Head noted that the contamination rate was considered to be comparatively high in Gwynedd because the amount that Gwynedd received from companies for the recycling material was lower than in other counties.

 

In response to an enquiry on whether there were plans to recycle small batteries from homes, the Assistant Head explained that these could be recycled by visiting any local recycling centre. He elaborated that they were planning to include batteries within collection routes but the focus at the moment was on ensuring that soft plastics could be recycled effectively, as Welsh Government regulations on that issue could come into effect in April 2027. He also pointed out that adding a box or sack to collect the batteries would be costly for the Council as it was unlikely that batteries would need to be collected frequently. However, he noted that research was being conducted on this issue.

 

It was reported that several local shops were now selling some goods such as milk and orange juice in glass bottles, but those bottles could not be returned back to the store to be reused. In response to the comment, Members' attention was drawn to the Welsh Government's Deposit Return Scheme which would be operational very shortly. It was explained that this scheme would allow residents to return glass bottles back to shops to get money off the product as they purchased it again.

 

It was highlighted that 12 Local Authorities in Wales had managed to reach the Government's target of recycling 70% of their waste. It was asked what schemes these local authorities were implementing and whether they could be incorporated in Gwynedd. In response to the enquiry, the Assistant Head confirmed that there was a discrepancy in the method of recording the work towards achieving this target across Wales so it was not possible to compare effectively with any other County. However, he considered that there was room for improvement by working with businesses to ensure that their recycling rates improved from the current rates.

 

It was pointed out that waste was still coming out of the lorries as they completed the routes, leaving rubbish on the sides of roads. The Assistant Head accepted the comments and stated that staff would be reminded to ensure that all vehicle doors were shut adequately before driving away to ensure this did not continue to happen. The Cabinet Member added that this situation had improved compared to the past.

 

A member stated that litter left on roadsides was more visible after the grass on the verges had been cut, and asked the Department to consider ensuring that waste collection teams went round after verge cutting circuits to resolve this problem.

 

In response to a query on how companies package goods for postal delivery, the Assistant Head confirmed that a tax has been imposed on companies since last year to ensure that all packaging was recyclable. He noted that not enough time had passed since this taxation had come into effect to be able to see if companies had made changes as a result. He explained that the money made from this tax would be allocated to the Local Authorities in order to respond to packaging challenges.

 

It was reported that recycling collections were sometimes carried out using vans when lorries were not available or for collections on narrow roads. It was pointed out that in these cases the contents of the boxes were mixed together, and the member asked if they were sorted once they reached the recycling centre. In response to the comments, the Assistant Head confirmed that these particular vans had been developed by Gwynedd and were now roughly 7-8 years old and dated. He added that difficulties often arose with these vehicles as they broke down frequently and were not fit for purpose because the waste was mixed. However, he reported that the Department had commissioned a company to design purpose-made lorries to address the situation. He emphasised that when the vans were used for collections, work was done to go through the waste in order to sort it.

 

In response to an enquiry as to whether hessian sack trials would be conducted in the Dwyfor area, the Assistant Head confirmed that there were no specific plans at present but hopefully more trials would take place before the summer, and he invited Members to contact the Department if they are aware of any communities that would be keen to get involved. He elaborated that another trial was required to ensure that the sacks were high quality, were not caught by the wind and to provide an opportunity to educate residents on their use. Some of the advantages of using hessian sacks over the use of the recycling cart were highlighted, stating that if the sacks were swept away by the wind, the waste was still confined to the sack, whereas this was not the case for the cart as we could see the waste scattered if it was taken by the wind. It was pointed out that around 60,000 recycling carts were located across Gwynedd and it was emphasised that there was no requirement for people to stop using them, ensuring that switching to the use of sacks would be a process over time. It was confirmed that no one would be forced to stop using the recycling cart and they would continue to be used in the future. Nevertheless, it was confirmed that the cost of providing a new cart was high compared to the cost of providing hessian sacks.

 

In response to an enquiry regarding the need to collect broken bins and boxes when delivering new equipment, the Assistant Head confirmed that arrangements were in place to collect any broken equipment when delivering new ones, and he asked anyone to contact the Department's bin collection service if this did not happen.

The members expressed their thanks for the report.

 

Resolved:

1.      To accept the report, noting the observations made during the discussion.

2.     To recommend to the Cabinet Member for the Environment that:

·       consideration should be given to intensifying training/campaigns to educate on the importance of recycling.

·       consideration should be given to introducing penalties for failure to recycle appropriately