Agenda item

To seek the agreement of Cabinet to endorse the adoption of the Waste Strategy for Essex 2024-2054.

RESOLVED that Cabinet –

(a)    approves and formally adopts the Waste Strategy for Essex 2024-2054 in the form appended to the Environment Portfolio Holder’s report (Appendix 1 to report A.3); and

(b)     notes that other Councils in the Essex Waste Partnership will be taking individual decisions on the adoption of the Waste Strategy for Essex 2024-2054 during 2024.

Cabinet considered a detailed report of the Environment Portfolio Holder (A.3) which, following consultation undertaken by Essex County Council, sought the agreement of Cabinet to endorse the adoption of the Waste Strategy for Essex 2024-2054.

Members were informed that the Waste and Emissions Trading (WET) Act 2003, (section 32) obliged authorities in ‘two-tier’ areas to have a Joint Strategy at all times, for the management of waste from households and other waste similar to household waste. The strategy policies must be kept under review and consulted on as appropriate. Essex County Council (ECC) as the waste disposal authority and the 12 waste collection authorities were therefore jointly obliged to maintain a Joint Strategy setting out how household and similar wastes were to be managed. The Joint Strategy currently in place was not fit for purpose and might not be in conformity with the requirements set out by the WET Act 2003.

It was reported that the 13 councils had worked together through Officer groups of the Essex Waste Partnership and also at Member groups, attended by the Leader of the Council and the Portfolio Holder for the Environment on behalf of the District of Tendring at the Essex Waste Partnership (EWP), to jointly develop a new Waste Strategy for Essex to comply with this duty.

Cabinet was made aware that the strategy provided a 30-year framework for how Essex councils would manage the waste collected by local authorities from homes, businesses and street cleansing.  The focus of the strategy was to protect the environment whilst delivering high quality, value for money services that aligned fully with national policy and met local needs.  The strategy identified the key areas of work to deliver the aims and ambitions of the partnership, shared targets and approaches for the management of waste.  Following strategy adoption decisions, work would be undertaken to develop the required countywide and local action plans to deliver the aims and aspirations of the strategy.

It was detailed that a draft Waste Strategy for Essex had been developed and endorsed by the EWP for public consultation in June 2023.  The consultation methodology had been designed in line with the HM Government’s code of practice and the ‘Gunning’ principles.  The design and delivery of the Waste Strategy for Essex consultation had been externally validated by The Consultation Institute (TCI) as best practice and the public consultation had commenced on 13 September 2023.

Members were advised that the 10-week public consultation had been facilitated by ECC on behalf of the EWP.  Its purpose had been to provide residents, businesses and communities with an opportunity to have their say on the priorities and approaches proposed in the draft strategy.  Respondents had also been able to provide feedback on the Strategic Environmental Assessment published alongside the draft strategy. Over the consultation period 4,545 consultation questionnaire responses had been received from across the County. The findings of the consultation exercise had then been independently analysed and used by the EWP to develop a final strategy.

It was felt that the Waste Strategy for Essex set a clear ambition and commitment to reduce the impact on the environment from dealing with the things people threw away.  It was a 30-year strategy for the county of Essex that had been jointly developed by the Essex Waste Partnership, comprising the Borough, City and District Councils and Essex County Council.

It was considered to provide a framework for waste management informing the future design of waste services and a joined-up approach to waste treatment and disposal.

The final strategy had been submitted to each partner council for a decision on adoption and a copy of the Waste Strategy for Essex was attached at Appendix 1 to the Report of the Environment Portfolio Holder (A.3).

Given that the Portfolio Holder’s recommendations would ensure that the Council continued to progress the future of this important statutory service whilst complying with the Waste and Emissions Trading Act 2003, (section 32) which obliged authorities in ‘two-tier’ areas to have a Joint Strategy at all times, for the management of waste from households and other waste similar to household waste:-

It was moved by Councillor Smith, seconded by Councillor I J Henderson and:-

RESOLVED that Cabinet –

(a)    approves and formally adopts the Waste Strategy for Essex 2024-2054 in the form appended to the Environment Portfolio Holder’s report (Appendix 1 to report A.3); and

(b)     notes that other Councils in the Essex Waste Partnership will be taking individual decisions on the adoption of the Waste Strategy for Essex 2024-2054 during 2024.