Issue - meetings

    Report by Executive Director Alistair Cunningham OBE.

Cllr Bridget Wayman, Cabinet Member for Highways, Transport and Waste, presented a report which (i) provided an updated draft of the Household Waste Management Strategy 2017-27 (ii) Reported on performance of the waste management service during 2018-19 and (iii) Proposed an action plan for the waste management service for 2019-20, prior to referral to full Council for approval.

Cllr Wayman raised the following matters during the course of her presentation of the report: Engagement with the Environment Select Committee, the Strategy remaining central to environmental legislation, prioritising waste management practices which are more environmentally sustainable, the various government consultations detailed in the report and responses received, the publication by the government of the Environment Bill in October 2019 and the requirement to collect food waste at least once a week, recycling performance during 2018/19, deposit return scheme, key performance indicators, Annual Action Plan 2019/20 and references to the introduction of changes to the kerbside collection of recyclable materials.

Cllr Ian Thorn raised issues in connection with the collection of food waste and the potential for varying the waste contract to take this into account, the need for more background detail in relation to performance indicators, and a clearer explanation of timescales and how they would be achieved.  In response, Cllr Wayman explained that the Environment Bill had not been introduced by the government at this stage and that any new elements of the waste contract would be incorporated prior to its next tendering process in 2026. She also indicated that further information was expected from government about the collection of food waste.

In additional the following matters were raised about the Strategy, the style of wording used, fly-tipping, litter on roads and recycling rates and historical figures for the composition of waste collections. Cllr Wayman noted that the wording used in certain sections of the Strategy could be slightly clearer and that a number of councils were experiencing lower recycling rates.  

The Cabinet noted that the Environment Select Committee had considered and endorsed the Strategy at its meeting held on 23 April 2019, and the work being undertaken around fly-tipping and the use of overt and covert surveillance.

Resolved:

That Cabinet:

1. Notes and approves the draft Strategy; and

2. Recommends that full Council approves the draft Strategy as part of the Council’s Policy Framework.

Reasons for Decision:

There are significant changes anticipated in the legislative framework which

governs the delivery of waste management services which would result in the

council having to make decisions about the services it delivers in order to

remain compliant with statutory requirements. This could impact on the waste

and recycling services delivered to all Wiltshire households. It is therefore

appropriate that the strategy be approved by full Council to ensure that all

aspects of the council abide by the strategy with any proposed deviations

having to be approved by a majority of full Council.