Agenda item

To make the Executive aware of the issues being experienced with the Waverley Borough Council Household Recycling Centres due to misuse and fly-tipping, propose a way forward to deal with these issues and inform the Executive of feedback from the Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee which considered the report at its meeting on 24 June 2020.    

Recommendations

It is recommended that:

1.         The containers for co-mingled recycling at the Household Recycling Centres  listed in Annexe A be removed as soon as possible to avoid any ongoing additional payments to Biffa.

2.         The banks for textiles and WEEE (waste electrical and electronic equipment) be removed following the introduction of the kerbside textiles and WEEE collections from households (Autumn 2020).

3.         An effective communications plan be developed to promote the additional kerbside recycling collection services and the reasons for removing these sites.

7.1       Cllr Steve Williams introduced the report, which proposed the removal of the Household Recycling Sites (‘Bring sites’) due to mis-use and fly-tipping, which resulted in high levels of contamination of recyclables and additional collection costs. The forthcoming introduction of kerbside collections for textiles and small electrical items would mean that everything currently collected at the Bring Sites would be collected kerb-side.

7.2       Whilst the removal of the Bring Sites would release additional space in the car parks, it was not intended to create additional parking spaces for cars, but to use the space to promote sustainability by providing facilities for cyclists that encourage alternative active transport in line with the post-Covid recovery strategy.

Three Members had registered to speak on this item:

7.3       Cllr Carole Cockburn, speaking as Chairman of the Environment Overview & Scrutiny Committee and personally, wholeheartedly supported the proposal finally to remove the Bring Sites, after many years of discussing and trying to resolve the issues they caused. She particularly wanted to draw attention to the need to be sensitive to and respect special areas in Waverley towns, notably the Farnham Conservation Area, when considering how to use the space going forward. However, she had some concerns at the proposal to introduce cycle parking facilities, without any consultation, and asked that there be proper engagement locally and consideration of the right proposals for each location that had due regard to special circumstances.

7.4       Cllr Mary Foryszewski welcomed the proposals. The issues described in the report were apparent to anyone using the car parks and who saw the overflowing bins, heaps of recycling and black bags around the bins, and clear evidence of no personal responsibility. Under the previous administration a SIG had been formed to look at the procurement of a new waste and recycling contract. The SIG had explored all aspects of the service and had encouraged the removal of the Bring Sites. She encouraged Members to look at the work of the SIG and to take the opportunity to educated residents about taking personal responsibility for the waste they produced and being accountable for it. Cllr Foryszewski paid tribute to the key workers who had continued to collect waste and recycling throughout the Covid emergency and had done a fantastic job. And, she urged consultation and engagement on how the space freed up by removal of the Bring Sites was used in future.

7.5       Cllr Peter Isherwood echoed the previous speakers’ support for the proposals. He had also been on the SIG in 2018, and the Members had recommended unanimously the removed of the Bring Sites due to their misuse. Only recently, the bins at Beacon Hill had been set on fire and burnt out, but the following day six black bags of rubbish were left on the ground beside them for someone else to clear up. He looked forward to rapidly progressing the actions to end this abuse of council facilities.

7.6       The Leader thanked Members for their support for the proposals and assured them there would be wide consultation on the possible future use of the sites.

7.7       Cllr Williams welcomed the support, and Members’ own experience of the misuse of the Bring Sites confirmed that removing them was the right action. With regard to future use, the intention of the Bring Sites had been to promote recycling, and so he felt that it was appropriate that the future use should be for something that promoted sustainability in the borough and he was open to suggestion about this. With regard to the communications plan, this was an important opportunity to educate the general public about waste and recycling, and about reducing and re-using as well.

7.8       The Executive RESOLVED that:

1.      The containers for co-mingled recycling at the Household Recycling Centres listed in Annexe A of the agenda report be removed as soon as possible to avoid any ongoing additional payments to Biffa.

2.      The banks for textiles and WEEE (waste electrical and electronic equipment) be removed following the introduction of the kerbside textiles and WEEE collections from households (Autumn 2020)

3.      An effective communications plan be developed to promote the additional kerbside recycling collection services and the reasons for removing these sites.

Reason: The household recycling sites had historically suffered widespread abuse and increasingly high levels of contamination with non-recyclable items by residents and businesses. This had resulted in high levels of rejection at the materials recycling facilities. This had now reached a level of contamination where collections from these sites could no longer be made in conjunction with household kerbside collections and an additional vehicle and crew had to be used to service them as additional cost to the council which had not been budgeted for.