Issue - meetings

Kerbside Service Revision

Meeting: 18/02/2015 - Environment and Community Portfolio (Item 4)

4 REVISION TO KERBSIDE PAPER COLLECTION SERVICE pdf icon PDF 266 KB

Minutes:

Report ES14081

 

Report ES14081 proposed that the frequency of the kerbside paper collection service be revised from weekly to every other week. This would achieve a substantive saving and reflect changes in the tonnages of material collected.

 

Compared to 2009/10, paper tonnages for 2013/14 fell by 13.59% in line with emerging national trends. For 2014/15, the paper tonnage is projected to fall further.

 

Split-bodied vehicles (SBVs) co-collect food and paper and three additional SBVs would be required to provide sufficient capacity for paper to be collected every other week. This would ensure the SBVs can cope with the weight disparity between food waste and paper collected.

 

Two options were presented for the revised service: Option 1 comprised the purchase of three specialist vehicles at £186k per vehicle, totalling £558k; Option 2 proposed the vehicles be hired from June 2015 to March 2019 (end of current contract) but with a reduced annual revenue savings (by approximately £120k), with no residual value for the vehicles at contract end. Report ES14081summarised the overall savings for each option.

 

In moving paper collection to every other week, residents would receive five collections over each two week period - two for food, one for paper, one for GCP, and one for residual waste. The current kerbside collection service for refuse and recyclables offers six collections over each two week period - two for food, two for paper, one for Glass/Cans/Plastics (GCP), and one for residual waste.

 

The Portfolio Holder expressed his support for Option 1 in view of the financial advantages. Cllr Catherine Rideout also supported Option 1.

 

Councillor Fookes enquired whether Residents Associations should be consulted and asked whether there was scope to work with other authorities in providing a waste and recycling service. Councillor Fookes also enquired of any other initiatives in areas such as improving recycling, increasing revenue, and reducing waste.

 

Although L B Bromley’s Waste and Recycling service provided particularly good vale for money, the Portfolio Holder indicated there might be a case for co-terminus contracts with other authorities in the future. In terms of initiatives, a further good practice drive would start soon to encourage residents in their recycling. In so doing it was intended to raise levels of recycling further. In regard to consultation, it was necessary to proceed with the revision to kerbside paper collection, the measure being driven by the need for budget savings.

 

In adopting Option 1, the Portfolio Holder preferred to take the decision at a Special Portfolio Holder meeting rather than wait another meeting cycle. Savings could also be taken earlier. In line with this, the Portfolio Holder asked that Full Council on 23rd February 2015 be asked to approve funding from overall underspends in the Council’s 2014/15 Central Contingency Sum

in order to purchase the SBVs

 

RESOLVED that:

 

(1)  revision of the frequency of kerbside paper collections and associated operational changes be agreed based on Option 1; and

 

(2) Full Council on 23rd February 2015 be asked to approve an allocation  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4