Agenda item

To enable the Cabinet to consider recommendations made by the Resources and Services Overview & Scrutiny Committee in relation to this matter, together with the Environment & Public Space Portfolio Holder’s response thereto.

RESOLVED that Cabinet notes –

(a)    the contents of the report; and

(b)    that a full response from the Environment & Public Space Portfolio Holder will be submitted to the next meeting of the Cabinet.

Cabinet was aware thatthe Resources and Services Overview & Scrutiny Committee (“the Committee”), at its meeting held on 30 June 2022, had considered a report which had been submitted by that Committee’s own Task and Finish Group on Waste, Recycling, and Litter which had itself met on 16 May 2022.

Councillor Michael Talbot (the Portfolio Holder for Environment and Public Space) had addressed the meeting and had set out an introduction to the material provided to the Task and Finish Group which was a range of information on the issue of waste, recycling, litter and fly tipping as referenced in the terms of reference for the enquiry.  Some additional text had been included in the report on customer contact in relation to services provided by the Street Scene Service Area and the online forms for requesting services. 

At the invitation of the Chairman of the meeting, Mr Hamlet (the Council’s Street Scene Manager) had given a verbal update on the material set out in the report. Contributions had then been made by Damian Williams (the Corporate Director (Operations and Delivery)) and Andy White (the Assistant Director (Building and Public Realm)).

The Members of the Task and Finish Group had previously considered their key lines of enquiry on 5 May 2022 and had submitted those to the Officers in preparation for the meeting on 16 May 2022. At that meeting Officers had provided written responses to most of those questions.  As such, the Members had asked supplementary questions based on the responses provided.  Subsequent to the meeting on 16 May 2022, a completed set of written responses had been provided to the Members of the Task and Finish Group / Members of Resources and Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

After discussion the Committee’s decision had been to recommend the following to the Cabinet:-

“In respect of the recycling elements of the enquiry:

(1)    That the capacity of the Street Scene Team to undertake a range of engagement and recycling promotion work with school age children, members of community organisations and the public through roadshows, Council Tax Bills etc. be assessed and plans brought forward to support this capacity.  The Committee believes that this work is vital to ensure we have a well-informed local population about recycling and the benefits of it and that the capacity of the team should provide for this work to be undertaken systematically and consistently;

(2)    That, in addition to the steps in (1) above, available data, or proxies for it, about recycling rates within the District be examined to identify those areas where recycling rates are lowest and that the available resources for promotional activity be targeted to those areas to increase recycling rates there.  The Committee is conscious of the need to use data to guide action and that this is an area where finite resources can be directed where the need for action is most required.

(3)    That proposals for new style three chamber litter bins to separate out general waste from plastic/can recyclables and card recyclables be examined with a view to these being installed in the centres of towns in the District.  The Committee considers that these new style bins would help reinforce the message around recycling and further the Council’s commitment to it (and positively reinforce the Council’s Community Leadership role);

(4)    That the expected standards for cleanliness/removal of broken glass at the recycling bring sites in the District be developed and publicised and, alongside these, deployment response times for the cleaning/clearing of those sites be established for reports of issues at those sites when the standards are not being met.  This recording will include each incident of ‘fly tipping’ at the sites.  The Committee believes the recycling bring sites provide a valuable addition to the kerbside recycling collection service and believes that working with the public we can look to keep the sites in the best possible condition by sharing with them the standards they should expect, the means of reporting when those standards are not met and a response regime to those reports that can manage expectations while returning the site to the expected standards as soon as possible; and

(5)   That the introduction of an online (MyTendring) form to report a missed bin collection for garden waste collections (Brown bin) be pursued.  The Committee regards the availability of a missed bin collection online form for the general waste (Black bin) and recycling boxes (red and green boxes) as positive and that the same 24/7 reporting route should be provided for garden waste where there is a missed collection.

In respect of the public space litter elements of the enquiry:

(6)    That the proposals for uniquely coloured (purple) bags for those undertaking Community Litter picks (to distinguish these bags from other forms of waste/recycling) be warmly supported;

(7)    That the large blue litterbins used as part of the Summer Plan along the seafront should be retained throughout the low season to create a year round approach to litter collection in those spaces.  The removal of the litterbins means that out of season there is a reduced litterbin service along the seafront.  For residents in those areas and local individuals who use the seafront this reduced service is perceived as a lower standard for them than is provided for tourists.  Retaining the bins, even with a reduced emptying regime would demonstrate the obvious commitment of the Council to its residents;

(8)    That consideration be given to a pilot scheme along the stretch of the A120 from Ardleigh Crown to Horsley Cross to install high visibility litter bins in the laybys and evaluate the extent of their use (and any potential consequential fly tipping from their introduction) for a 12 months period (and that the experience be used to inform the approach along this road and the A133 going forward).  The Committee believes that the pilot approach will provide the Council with valuable information as to whether litter bins in the laybys of major roads in the District would be advantageous;

(9)   That the verge litter-picking schedule for the A120 from the new roundabout to the Auction roundabout be increased to six times a year.  The current frequency is, in the view of the Committee, demonstrably insufficient to keep the verges concerned clear of litter and this then could encourage further littering to take place by those who see the extent of litter that is not cleared sufficiently frequently to deter it taking place;

In respect of future service provision:

(10) The Committee welcomed the opportunity to input into the specification for the waste, recycling and street cleaning contract that will be the basis of service provision in those areas from 2026. 

[Note: Further to item (10) in the above recommendations, the Resources and Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee had proposed to Council on 12 July 2022 that the development of proposals for the waste, recycling and street cleaning contract specification from 2026 be included in the work programme of enquiries for the Committee for 2022/23.]”

The Environment & Public Space Portfolio Holder responded thereto as follows:-

“Colleagues, this report from the Resources and Services Overview & Scrutiny Committee is far too good to just note as it is bursting with intelligent ideas. I want the chance for each to be examined in detail and properly costed, with a view to trying to encompass the report’s ideas. Damian Williams organised a meeting for me yesterday with Andy White and Jonathan Hamlet present. I said that only having received the report a week ago, this was not enough time to present a considered answer at this Cabinet meeting, but that I wanted a detailed answer to be prepared with costs included for the next Cabinet meeting.”

Having considered the recommendations of the Resources and Services Overview & Scrutiny Committee, together with the initial response of the Environment & Public Space Portfolio Holder thereto:-

It was moved by Councillor Talbot, seconded by Councillor Bray and:-

RESOLVED that Cabinet notes –

(a)    the contents of the report; and

(b)    that a full response from the Environment & Public Space Portfolio Holder will be submitted to the next meeting of the Cabinet.