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Agenda item

Waste Collection Changes

To receive a presentation from Patrick Russell and Deborah Courtney, Waste Services, Wiltshire Council, on upcoming changes to the way waste and recycling is collected in Wiltshire, including collection day changes.

Minutes:

Tracy Carter, Interim Waste Management and Carbon reduction Lead Officer, Wiltshire Council, gave a presentation on upcoming changes to the way waste and recycling was collected in Wiltshire.

 

Wiltshire Council was changing the way they collected waste, moving to co-mingled collection for recycling, this system had been proven to be successful in many areas of the country. Collections would still be fortnightly, although as a consequence of the changes, some collection days would change. Residents would be notified by post several weeks in advance of any changes to collection days. Once residents had received this letter they would also be able to view changes online and print a calendar if they wished.

 

Under the new system, glass and textiles would still go in the black box. Anything else recyclable could go in the blue lidded bin. Examples of items that could go in the blue lidded bin were plastic bottles, pots, tubs, trays, cardboard boxes, food and drink cartons, paper, food and drink cans, aerosols and foil.

 

It was requested that people wash and squash items if possible. Washing the items helped to maintain the quality of the materials and squashing them simply meant you could fit more in the bin.

 

The black box would still be used for glass. The reason glass would still be kept separate was that the re-processors liked to have it separate to prevent glass shards getting into other recycling. The collection vehicles had a separate pod for glass. Textiles could also be put in the black box however these must be bagged up and the bag tied. Unfortunately, duvet’s and sleeping bags could not be recycled.

 

The Council did not make a profit from recycling, however money raised from recycling helped to offset the cost of collecting waste.

 

Hopefully the proposed changes would make it easier for residents to recycle and should therefore increase recycling rates. The changes would also mean that one type of vehicle could collect all types of waste and recycling. This meant that Wiltshire Council could get rid of about 38 vehicles from the road, which in itself would help to reduce carbon emissions and costs. The changes meant that collection times may also change. It was requested that residents put their bins out by 7.00am on the day of collection. 

 

A new materials recovery facility was being built in Calne, which would sort the mixed recycling.

 

Residents could sign up for email alerts from the waste service at   http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/rubbish-and-recycling-collection-changes in order to be kept up to date with developments.  You could also register to get a larger bin or an extra bin at this address.

 

If parishes and community groups required advice or help regarding spreading the news about the changes they were welcome to email: wasteandrecycling@wiltshire.gov.uk.

Details were given regarding the End Destination Charter, which was a voluntary scheme developed by the Resource Association to promote openness and transparency over end destinations of waste. Wiltshire Council had signed up to this scheme and published annual reports on line at: http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/what-happens-to-recycling.

 

People were asked to reduce what they use, reuse what they could and to recycle.

 

In response to a question regarding collecting food waste it was stated that the government had published a bill at the end of 2019, mandating that local authorities may have to do food waste collections, the council was awaiting the legislation. Wiltshire Council wanted to encourage people to reduce food waste by planning their meals, freezing items, using portion control and using recipes for leftovers. Wiltshire Council residents could also purchase a discounted food waste digester, which would take all cooked and uncooked food waste including meat, fish, bones, dairy products, vegetables and fruit. Go to http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/home-composting--rev-0 to find out more about getting a food waste digester.

 

Food waste collection in metropolitan areas often worked well. However, in rural areas the situation was a bit different. Sending large lorries which used lots of diesel to collect small packets of food waste was illogical, it was far better to reduce food waste.

 

Cllr Whitehead was asked whether he would front a campaign to leave packaging in shops. It was felt that if civic leaders supported this then the campaign may take off. Cllr Whitehead stated that he would discuss this with the proposer.

 

In response to a question asking how much waste was still going to landfill it was stated that last year 16% of waste collected went to landfill. Most waste that could not be recycled was now used for energy.

 

The high cost of the Green bin service for garden waste was queried, which had resulted in some residents dropping out of the scheme. It also seemed to some residents that the collection lorries still went by even though residents were no longer part of the scheme. It was explained that the collection rounds were reviewed and if no one had signed up then the collection routes taken would be changed. The council had also reduced the number of vehicles used.

The meeting was encouraged to compost at home wherever possible. The council had a statutory requirement to collect waste, but not green waste. It could not add the cost of green waste collection to council tax as there were lots of residents who did not have gardens. If residents did not want to use the scheme they could compost at home or take the waste to a recycling centre. The numbers of residents using the service were increasing. There was revenue made from the compost produced but Wiltshire Council did not make a profit from it. 

Wiltshire Council had no authority over supermarkets in order to get them to address issues with packaging and shelf life. It did however work with other local authorities to try to influence central government to improve the situation.

 

The Chairman thanked the officer for her presentation and stated it was hoped that the changes to recycling would be implemented around March 2020.