REPORT FROM WASTE MANAGEMENT SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP : Environment and Leisure Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 14/03/2006

Waverley Borough Council Committee System - Committee Document

Meeting of the Environment and Leisure Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 14/03/2006
REPORT FROM WASTE MANAGEMENT SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP

Summary & Purpose

This report updates Members of this Committee with the recent work of the Waste Management Special Interest Group and provides information about the implementation of the Alternate Weekly Collection Scheme (AWC). This includes progress made with the introduction of the garden waste collection service and the Members’ AWC Trial.

There are no legal or financial implications specifically associated with this report.

4 APPENDIX F

Waverley Borough Council

ENVIRONMENT & LEISURE OVERVIEW & SCRUTINY COMMITTEE

14th March 2006

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Title:

REPORT FROM WASTE MANAGEMENT SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP

[Wards Affected: ALL]

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Summary and purpose:

This report updates Members of this Committee with the recent work of the Waste Management Special Interest Group and provides information about the implementation of the Alternate Weekly Collection Scheme (AWC). This includes progress made with the introduction of the garden waste collection service and the Members’ AWC Trial.

There are no legal or financial implications specifically associated with this report.
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Environmental implications:

All of the environmental implications associated with this report are positive since the overall aim of reducing waste and increasing recycling will reduce the harmful impacts associated with the current methods of transporting and disposing of waste.

Social / community implications:

Kerbside recycling methods encourage members of the community to play an active and personal part in sorting their refuse for recycling. Local employment opportunities are created for those who will work on the collection rounds.

E-Government implications:

There are no e-government implications directly associated with this report.

Resource and legal implications:

There are no legal or resource implications directly associated with this report.

Background

1. The Waste Management Special Interest Group was reformed at the recommendation of the Council on 19th July 2005 with the terms of reference to: “Oversee the implementation of the new refuse and recycling service.” The Special Interest Group has met on 12th September, 8th November and 12th December 2005, and 30th January and 6th March 2006 respectively.

2. Key areas for consideration and scrutiny by the SIG have been communications with the public, the use of staff resources, and the arrangement for implementation of Alternate Weekly Collections and garden waste collections. The SIG has also to ensure that the risks associated with the projects are properly managed.

Communications

3. A primary area of activity in preparing for the implementation of the new AWC service has been to ensure effective public communications. Sine mid-January DTW Marketing and Advertising Limited have been supporting Waverley in this process.

4. In addition to local press coverage, which has been balanced, informative and extensive, other elements of public communications campaign have so far included articles in the autumn and winter editions of The Link, a special edition of Recycling News and promotion of the garden waste collection service. Further elements will include the distribution of an information pack to all households prior to implementation. The information pack will include the reasons for service changes, advice about how to use the service, questions answered and a collection calendar.

5. A Waverley campaign identity has been developed and incorporated into the information packs being sent to households in the phase 1 area. This campaign identity uses the “Recycle Now” logo, which has been developed nationally by WRAP (the Waste Resource Action Programme). It has already been used successfully by a number of other Councils in support of service-change and awareness-raising campaigns.

6. The Environment Portfolio Holder and Head of Environmental Services have attended public meetings of Godalming, Farnham and Haslemere Town Councils and Ewhurst Parish Council respectively to speak about the implementation of Alternate Weekly Collections in Waverley.

AWC Team

7. There are currently seven temporary members of staff in the AWC Team, located at the Veolia Farnham Road Depot. An eighth member of the team is due to start on 13th March and the ninth on 25th March. The approved resource model allows up to ten additional staff to be recruited for this purpose and a further web-based recruitment advert has therefore been placed.

8. The work of the team has so far included training and induction, dealing with telephone enquiries, undertaking site visits and assisting with preparations for phase 1 implementation. The Team has been assisting with container distribution from 6th March and are expected to be very busy assisting householders, and other elements of service introduction during the spring, summer and autumn.

Members’ Trial

9. The trial of the Alternate Weekly Collection system has been undertaken for the six week period from Saturday 28th January to Saturday 4th March. There has been 56 Waverley Borough Member participants, 17 Town / Parish participants and the Surrey County Council Environment Portfolio Holder (74 total). The SIG will be updated with information about the outcome of the Members’ Trial at the meeting.

10. A short narrative and table of the collated results of the Members Trial are attached as Annexe 2 to this report.

Garden Waste Collection Service

11. The garden waste collection service is de to commence at the end of March. Some 1,900 subscriptions had been taken out by the beginning of March 2006. This figure will enable collections to operate on weekdays instead of the originally planed Saturday service, and this will in-turn enable the collected material to be taken to Strawberry Farm, Normandy (which is not open on Saturdays), instead of the further-away Little Bushy Warren. Members will recall that the original implementation model anticipated 7,500 subscribers to the service and it will therefore be the subject of further promotion during the spring and autumn gardening seasons.

Alternate Weekly Collections

12. Preparations are being made for the introduction of AWC in three phases across the Borough, commencing on 3rd April, 5th June and 17th July respectively. The posting of information packs and distribution of additional recycling containers to the 17,000 properties in the phase 1 area began during the week commencing 6th March. This will take an estimated three weeks to complete.

Risk Management

13. Officers have considered the key risks associated with the implementation of the Alternate Weekly Collection and the Garden Waste Service. These are not risks relating to the normal running of the contract but they are specifically key areas that could prevent Waverley from achieving its objective of increasing the recycling rate through the smooth implementation of the AWC and garden waste service, within the agreed timetable and within the estimated cost.

14. A Risk Assessment has been prepared in accordance with Waverley’s Risk Management Policy. This Risk Assessment in the form presented to the 6th March meeting of the SIG is attached as Annexe 1 to this report. The risks have been evaluated contemporaneously, but will continue to be reviewed as the implementation develops. If the re-evaluation identifies any risks that require urgent management action, Members will be informed at the earliest opportunity.

Recommendation

It is recommended that members of this committee note the contents of this report about the work of the Waste Management SIG and progress being made towards implementation of the Alternate Weekly Collection System.

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Background Papers (Director of Environment & Leisure)

There are no background papers (as defined by Section 100D(5) of the Local Government Act 1972) relating to this report.

Contact Officer:

Name: Martin Shorten Telephone: 01483 523434

E-mail: mshorten@waverley.gov.uk

Comms/O&S3/05-06/083