Minutes:
The Waste and Recycling Manager introduced the item and informed the Panel that a 48% recycling rate had been reached, which was an increase of 7% on the previous year.
The Waste and Recycling Manager went through the action plan produced by the Waste and Recycling Task & Finish Group; the ability to report food recycling missed collections online was now functional, and reports should be submitted within two business days; caretakers could also now report on behalf of residents. No requests for communal composting had been received, but officers were ready to assist with any residents who were interested in setting this up.
Communications with residents on the correct ways to dispose of waste had improved; new videos on the council website showed the journey of recycling. The Waste and Recycling Manager emphasised that the council were keen to communicate with residents as much as possible and undertook roadshows with Veolia, distributed calendars, were active on twitter and were open to any other ideas from the Panel.
There had been no requests for signage on bin stores to be replaced, but residents were encouraged to contact the council if this was needed on any sites. A programme of checking bin signage was being implemented, but would take around a year, due to the volume of bins and the number of staff.
All planning applications were reviewed by Waste Services to ensure adequate and correct waste and recycling facilities; there was a dedicated officer in the team who dealt with this.
The Waste and Recycling Manager explained that all figures on waste and recycling were sent quarterly to the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and published on the DEFRA website; if the Panel requested any additional figures they would be happy to provide them for a future meeting.
There had been no reports of any issues with collection frequencies, but these would be reviewed on a case by case basis. Waste Services worked closely with Housing to identify any issues.
In response to a question from a Panel member regarding whether new properties being built on their estate would have their own waste and recycling facilities, the Panel heard that they would.
In response to a question from a resident about broken and dirty bins on their estate, the Waste and Recycling Manager explained that there was a way to report this online, and that the bins may need replacing. There had been a change to the process of cleaning food waste bins, and these bins would be cleaned in the future. In response to a further question about whether recycling was being sent to Malaysia, the resident was assured that most recycling was sent to Essex to then sold on and sent to re-processors. The council always had the certificates of sale, and almost all recycling stayed in the country.
A Panel member commented that they had the same bins on their estate for 18 years, and were not sure they were clearly marked and because of this they may not be used correctly. They also commented that collection schedule changes had caused confusion. Another Panel member requested better signage for their bins to ensure cardboard was not going to landfill.
A Panel member stated that a public litter bin on the green space on Church Road would frequently be overfilled with dog waste, which had caused people to begin using the recycling bins. The Waste and Recycling Manager responded that they would check the frequency of collections and advise whether a new bin would be required. Another Panel member enquired as to whether dog waste bins could be requested for estates, and learned that this could now be disposed of in normal bins, and if it was felt a new one was needed Waste Management would look at the location and possibly offer an alternative.
The Resident Involvement Manager reminded the Panel that a Task & Finish Group had met with Waste Management and Housing departments and produced the Action Plan; the plan would be updated and circulated with these minutes. Report forms were available in the meeting to request meetings with or visits from officers.
The Chair explained that they felt there were recurring reports of residents reporting issues and no action being taken; this needed to be stopped. The Resident Involvement Manager suggested an additional meeting of the Task & Finish Group to look at this, with residents submitting any issues they wished to be looked at beforehand.