Issue - meetings

This report outlines recommendations in respect of the future delivery of the Council’s Combined Cleansing Services Contract which is due to expire at the end of January 2023.

Recommendations are based on alignment with the Council’s adopted Vision; including a stated recycling target of 55% by 2025 and to ‘ensure climate change and sustainability is at the heart of all council services’. Furthermore, recommendations seek to build on the success of the Council’s recent 1-2-3 food waste trial, and the anticipated direction of Government Resource & Waste Strategy.

The results of an options appraisal which inform the recommendation are outlined in the report, with recommendations provided in full consideration of both current opportunities and industry risks.

[40 Minutes]

          Upon the invitation of the Chair, the Environmental Services & Strategy Manager presented the report to the Committee. He explained the Committee had two choices, one being the recommendation which would bring a change to current services, the other option was to continue with current services for the time being. The recommendation was a move to alternate weekly collections for residual waste, with a bin provided to residents from the council, alongside a commitment to introducing food waste collections at the earliest opportunity when funding was available from the Government. Officers believed this was the right approach which was supported by partners at West Sussex County Council and through the work that Ricardo had undertaken on the council’s behalf. The recommendations sought to build on the success of the council’s recent 1-2-3 food waste trial, and the anticipated direction of the Government Resource & Waste Strategy. A weekly residual collection was around £358,000 more expensive compared to an alternate weekly residual collection. The recommendations were based on alignment with the council’s adopted Vision; including a stated recycling target of 55% by 2025 and to ‘ensure climate change and sustainability is at the heart of all council services’. He highlighted there were around 6000 properties within the District where moving to a fortnightly residual waste collection would be difficult, and the report proposed to keep these properties on a weekly collection until further proposals could be considered regarding how the transition for those properties could be made.

          The Environmental Services & Strategy Manager explained that if the Committee decided to retain the existing services, the council would need to move to alternate weekly collection when the Government introduced mandatory food waste collection. This was because there would be no viability or argument for a  weekly residual service in addition to weekly food waste collection, which would be impractical and costly to deliver.

          The Chair then invited Sam Pullinger, Category & Commercial Procurement lead for External Partners, Hampshire County Council to address the Committee, who gave a summary of the procurement process and options.

          The Chair then invited Steve Read, Director for Environment & Public Protection West Sussex County Council, to address the Committee. He believed that the success of the food waste trial showed that Arun had potential to be one of the UK’s top performing authorities in recycling if they chose the right option for waste collection. He explained modelling and predictions showed moving to alternate weekly collection over the next 3 years would increase recycling levels, and reduce waste disposal significantly. This would be more significant upon the introduction of food waste collection.

          The Chair then invited John Woodruff, Ricardo Consulting, to address the Committee. He explained that the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) funding would be in place from April 2024. This would be a contribution from producers to councils for recycling and waste collections. The process for allocating funding had not yet been finalised, but levels of contribution would be based on efficiency of scheme, recycling  ...  view the full minutes text for item 23