Denbighshire County Council - Agenda item - PROPOSED NEW WASTE AND RECYCLING SERVICE DESIGN AND ASSOCIATED INFRASTRUCTURE (DEPOT) REQUIREMENTS

To consider a confidential report by Councillor Brian Jones, Lead Member for Highways, Planning and Sustainable Travel (copy enclosed) detailing the outcome of the modelling carried out to identify the best new operating model for waste and recycling services and seeking members’ determination on the suitability of the proposed new service design.

RESOLVED that Cabinet –

(a) confirms that it has read, understood and taken account of the Well-being Impact Assessment (Appendix III to the report) as part of its consideration;

(b) note that the projected revenue savings (Section 9 of the report referred) achievable from implementation of the preferred Waste and Recycling service design and depot option B, are higher than any other service delivery option modelled by WRAP (Appendix IV to the report);

(c) note that the social benefits and financial implications (Section 9.7 of the report) of utilising the third sector for the collection of textiles and WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment), and recommend the continuation and expansion of an arrangement with a Denbighshire based Social Enterprise for the collection, re-use and recycling of these materials;

(d) approve the proposed new Waste and Recycling service design as outlined in Appendix II [A] to the report to implement the preferred Welsh Government (WG) Blueprint for Waste Collections, subject to the expected revenue savings (for the first seven years) being at least within the range of £500,000 to £750,000. The expected revenue savings will be examined by the Council’s finance team prior to any significant project gateway, for example, purchase of land;

(e) approve the Household Waste Collection Policy (Appendix II [B] to the report) designed to support the implementation and regulation of the proposed service in order that revenue savings and environmental targets are met;

(f) note WG have confirmed capital funding support of £900,000 in 2018/19, £4m in 2019/20 and a further £3m in 2020/21 for the implementation of a kerbside sort recycling operation, and instruct the Head of Highways and Environment to commit £900,000 of expenditure in 2018/19 in accordance with the terms and conditions of the grant funding to enable the full grant to be claimed. Members should note the risk highlighted in paragraph 13.3 of the report;

(g) support the Option B (central depot) as the preferred option for delivery of the new model, and authorise the Head of Highways and Environment to liaise with the Head of Facilities, Assets and Housing to pursue purchase of the land required for development of the central depot, providing the acquisition price is reasonable and reflects the current market value for such land;

(h) grant permission for the Head of Highways and Environment to submit a formal business case, through the North Wales Residual Waste Treatment Partnership, to request that WG fund a further element of Option B (central depot), which would reduce the prudential borrowing requirement outlined in Section 9.3 of the report, and

(i) approve depot Option A (the two site option) as a contingency, and authorise the Head of Highways and Environment to continue to develop costings and funding sources with a view to defaulting to Depot Option A should we be unable to secure the land required for Depot Option B (the preferred option).

Councillor Brian Jones presented the confidential report detailing the outcome of the modelling carried out to identify the best new operating model for waste and recycling services and seeking members’ determination on the suitability of the proposed new service design and associated depot requirements.

Councillor Jones advised that the proposal was centred on environmental improvement and benefits included a reduction in the carbon footprint of the service, generating more recycling and improving the quality of recyclable material. The Welsh Government had set a recycling target of 70% by 2025 with the expectation that the target would rise to 80% in future and had committed £7.9m towards the proposed service which would be used to develop the infrastructure necessary to enable the service changes. The proposal would also result in savings of at least £500k and create around 20 jobs. If the new service design was approved it was anticipated that no changes would take place until at least 2020.

The proposed new service design would result in the majority of residents moving to a weekly kerbside sort recycling service and a four weekly service for the remaining non-recyclable waste. A free weekly service for the collection of Absorbent Hygiene Products (nappies and incontinence waste) would be introduced together with a fortnightly collection for clothes and small electrical items. The most economically advantageous solution also required investment in depot infrastructure and the report outlined the preferred depot solution – Option B (central depot) with Option A (two site option) as a contingency and proposed how those requirements would be funded.

Cabinet welcomed the positive impact of the proposals on the environment and was pleased to note the expansion of the recycling service to encourage environmentally friendly practices. Given the greater capacity for recycling offered to residents, the proposal to move to a four weekly service for non-recyclable waste was considered sufficient but it was noted that larger bins could be provided if appropriate. Councillor Huw Hilditch-Roberts highlighted a number of issues raised by Communities Scrutiny Committee which had provided greater clarity on the proposed new service including cost to new houses/households; new weekly collection service for nappies; dealing with pet waste, and discussions with individual households on a case by case basis. As a result of the review by the Communities Scrutiny Committee the proposed charges for containers had now been removed from the draft policy and all containers would continue to be provided to households free of charge, including to new build houses. Cabinet considered public engagement and an effective and timely communication strategy to educate and inform residents about implementation of the new service to be of paramount importance and assurances were provided by Councillor Brian Jones and officers in that regard. It was noted that there were some areas which were proving difficult to engage but the officers were working hard to tackle those problem areas before the roll out of the project in order to stand the Council in good stead when implementing the changes and it was recognised that there were particular cases where residents would still need to use sacks or require more frequent collections and there were issues still to be addressed in terms of access and fly tipping etc. The financial implications were also discussed and Councillor Julian Thompson-Hill referred to the robust financial modelling and rigorous scrutiny of the business case by the Strategic Investment Group who had supported the proposals. Cabinet also discussed the infrastructure requirements and agreed Option B to be the preferred option which provided the Council with direct control and investment in the county.

Councillor Bobby Feeley was keen for the Council to lobby supermarkets with a view to adopting more environmentally friendly packaging practices and officers advised that it was a national issue which was being dealt with by WRAP Cymru who could exert greater pressure in that regard – however the issue could also be considered as part of the wider Council agenda on the use of plastics.

Councillor Huw Hilditch-Roberts asked that his disappointment be recorded in the minutes that only three non-Cabinet members had been present for the debate given that it was one of the biggest changes in Denbighshire. Councillor Julian Thompson-Hill considered the lack of observers present to be testament to the work of officers in explaining all the issues in various member forums prior to this stage.