AGENDA ITEM 11
BOROUGH OF POOLE
CABINET
1 APRIL 2007
REVIEW OF BLUE BIN KERBSIDE COLLECTION SCHEME: REPORT OF THE PORTFOLIO HOLDER FOR ENVIRONMENT
1. PURPOSE OF REPORT
1.1 To provide Members of Cabinet with an update on the performance of the Blue Bin Kerbside Recycling Scheme 3 years after its implementation and to review the strategy of the Blue Bin Kerbside Recycling Scheme in the light of the development of a business case to build a Materials Recycling Facility in Poole, as supported by Council in September 2007.
2. DECISIONS REQUIRED
2.1 That Cabinet be requested to approve:
(i) the continuation of the fortnightly co-mingled Blue Bin Kerbside Recycling Scheme for the Borough of Poole – thus establishing the Borough’s Dry Recyclate Collection Strategy for the future;
(ii) the policy of a 240 litre Blue Bin for recycling and a 140 litre bin for refuse throughout the Borough and that the transition from the current position be achieved by a phased education campaign encouraging voluntary size transfer;
(iii) A policy that all broken or seriously black 240 litre bins are replaced with 140 litre black bin and a 240 litre blue bin in consultation with the householder; and
(iv) The allocation of the Waste Performance Efficiency Grant and Waste Infrastructure Capital Grant to finance the Policy in paragraph (ii) above.
3. BACKGROUND/INFORMATION
3.1 The Environment Overview Group, at its Meeting on 13 March 2008, considered the Report of the Head of Environmental and Consumer Protection Services (attached).
3.2 The Environment Overview Group was advised of the following:-
(a) The Central Government through its Waste Strategy 2007 had set targets for recycling of:
· 40% recycling/composting by 2010
· 45% recycling/composting by 2015
· 50% recycling/composting by 2020
(b) The recycling and composting rate had increased since 2004 and was now over 40%. Similarly, there had been a decrease to under 60% in the amount of waste sent to landfill in the year 2007/8.
(c) Whilst the Blue Bin Scheme was well used and the recycling rate substantiates this, there was still significant recyclable material left in the black bin. An analysis of waste composition highlighted that a further behavioural change was required from the residents of Poole to ensure that all available recyclable materials were captured in the Blue Bin rather than the Black Bin. Greater capacity in the Blue Bin could provide the tool to address this.
(d) Options for the transition from the current position of predominantly 140 litre blue bins for recycling and 240 litre black bins for refuse were considered by the Environment Overview Group and the attached Appendix 2 sets out the options for a bin swap. Both the Environment Overview Group and the Waste Strategy Working Party agreed that there should not be a compulsory switch, it should be emphasized that a voluntary swap is the way forward and existing demand patterns give confidence in the number of likely volunteers. Benefits of a voluntary swap in conjunction with an education and promotion strategy are:
· Support and participation in the scheme would remain high
· Costs of transition can be spread over a longer period making the change affordable
· Provides a strategy for replacing broken and damaged bins.
(e) As mentioned in the Report to the Environment Overview Group, Capital Funding is available and can be put to any uses by Local Authorities that improve waste performance. The proposed Policy of bin swaps is one potential usage for the grants available from Central Government. The estimated cost of a voluntary swap of bins is £175,240 per annum, which means that this sum can support planned education and promotion. It should be emphasized that no-one will be forced to change and the transition from the current position can be achieved by a phased transfer. Likewise, all broken or seriously damaged black 240 litre bins will be replaced with 140 litre black bin and a 240 litre blue bin in consultation with householders.
(f) As highlighted in the Report by Environmental and Consumer Protection Services, most 240 litre black bins are nearing the end of their life and a replacement schedule is required. It is proposed that any failing 240 litre black bins are replaced with 140 litre black bins and a 240 litre blue bin in consultation with householders.
3.3 Financial Services have confirmed that with regard to option 4 the labour and transport costs for the delivery of the bins can be included as part of the Capital costs.
3.4 It is therefore proposed that the following are agreed by Cabinet:
(i) That based on the information contained in the attached Report, that the blue bin kerbside recycling scheme be continued for the future collection of dry recyclates;
(ii) That the voluntary approach to bin swaps as set out in the Report be agreed; and that
(iii) All failing 240 litre black bins are replaced with 140 litre black bins and a 240 litre blue bin in consultation with the householder.
3.5 The Waste Strategy Working Party and the Environment Overview Group UNANIMOUSLY supported the above proposals. I urge Cabinet to approve the recommendations as set out above.
Councillor Don Collier
Portfolio Holder for Environment
BOROUGH OF POOLE
ENVIRONMENT OVERVIEW GROUP
On 13th March 2008
Committee Suite, Civic Centre, Poole
REVIEW OF BLUE BIN KERBSIDE COLLECTION SCHEME
1 PURPOSE AND POLICY CONTEXT
1.1 To provide members with an update on the performance of the blue bin kerbside recycling scheme three years after its implementation.
1.2 To review the strategy of the blue bin kerbside recycling scheme in light of the development of a business case to build a Materials Recycling Facility in Poole, as supported by Council in September 2007.
2 DECISION REQUIRED
2.1 That members support and recommend to Cabinet the continuation of the fortnightly co-mingled blue bin kerbside recycling scheme for the Borough of Poole - thus establishing the Borough’s dry recyclate collection strategy for the future.
2.2 That members support and recommend to Cabinet the policy of a 240 litre blue bin for recycling and 140 litre bin for refuse throughout the Borough and that the transition from the current position be achieved by a phased education campaign encouraging voluntary size transfer.
2.3 That members support and recommend to Cabinet the policy that all broken or seriously damaged black 240 litre bins are replaced with a 140 litre black bin and a 240 litre blue bin following consultation with the householders.
2.4 That members support the allocation of the Waste Performance Efficiency Grant and Waste Infrastructure Capital Grant to finance the policy in 2.2 above.
3 BACKGROUND INFORMATION
3.1 On the 18th September Council supported the development of the business case for the construction of a waste transfer station and Materials Recycling Facility at Hatch Pond Depot.
3.2 A Waste Working Party was appointed in September 2007 to review the existing Waste Strategy and formulate a new strategy for the Borough for the next seven years.
3.3 The Borough’s current recycling kerbside provision is the blue bin scheme launched in September 2004 at a cost of £1.3 million. Every property in Poole has been given the facility to recycle at their kerbside a range of five products – paper, plastic bottles, cardboard, cans and glass.
3.4 The Central Government through its Waste Strategy 2007 has set targets for recycling of:
· 40% recycling/composting by 2010
· 45% recycling/composting by 2015
· 50% recycling/composting by 2020
3.5 A key factor of Poole’s Waste Strategy was the introduction of co mingled recycling using a 140 litre wheeled bin to every household in Poole. The strategy envisaged that ” A longer-term strategy may include the change from 240 litre wheeled-bin for the collection of household domestic waste to a 140 litre wheeled-bin, i.e. swapping the containers for household domestic waste and mixed dry recyclables”.
4 CURRENT POSITION IN THE BOROUGH
Diagram to show increase in dry recycling year on year since 2004
Diagram to show decrease in refuse to landfill year on year since 2004
4.1 The Borough is required by the Government to reduce waste going to landfill and increase recycling.
4.2 A participation study was carried out in Summer 2005. 98% of households in Poole put their blue bin out for collection at least once over three collections. A total of 4686 properties were surveyed.
4.3 Reports from Poole’s current Materials Recycling Facility declare less than 5% contamination levels demonstrating that compliance with the objectives of the scheme is very good.
4.4 The 2006 Best Value satisfaction survey reported that 84% of residents in Poole were satisfied with the scheme. This was the highest result of any authority in Dorset.
5. ISSUES AND OPPORTUNITIES
5.1 An alternative kerbside collection method for dry recyclates to the co-mingled method carried out in Poole is known as kerbside sort. This is where materials are collected in a receptacle, predominantly a box, and sorted by the collection crew prior to placing them in the correct container on the collection vehicle.
5.2 The future collection strategy for Poole needs to make a long term choice between these two methods. Appendix 1 compares the two options.
In summary the benefits of the co-mingled approach given our current position are
· Larger receptacle 240 litre or 140 litre versus a 55l box
· A wheeled bin is easier to manoeuvre unlike a box that has to be carried by the resident and the refuse collector.
· Material is kept dry and contained as opposed to potentially wet and wind blown
· Collection costs are cheaper, standard vehicles can be interchanged between collections, a greater number of properties can be served by a collection vehicle per day
· Further streams can be added to a co-mingled collection without incurring additional collection cost
· The Borough of Poole has wheeled bins and not boxes. A change in strategy would require new boxes and new vehicles.
· As stated above Poole has the highest satisfaction rate in Dorset for recycling at 84%. All other Authorities with the kerbside sort option rated lower than this.
5.3 Poole’s Waste Strategy 2002 proposed swapping the refuse and recycling bin capacities meaning that the 240 litre would be the recycling bin size and the 140 litre the refuse bin size. Since the introduction of the scheme committed recyclers have had the opportunity to swap bin sizes on a voluntary basis. To date 5100 bin swaps (10.4%) have been carried out. In October 2005 Cabinet agreed that all new properties would be issued with a 240 litre blue bin and a 140 litre black bin. Waste minimisation is a key strategy of the council therefore only large families satisfying specific criteria are permitted to have both a 240l blue bin and a 240l black bin.
5.4 Waste composition analyses have been commissioned through Waste Resource Action Programme funding (WRAP) as part of their Behavioural Change Local Fund. These show the capture rate of materials placed in the blue bin for recycling and those remaining recyclables still in the black bin.
· 74% of paper (26% in black bin)
· 73% glass (27% in black bin)
· 41% of cans in blue bin (59% in black bin)
· 47% plastic bottles (53% in black bin)
· 58% of cardboard (42% in black bin)
These figures confirm that whilst the blue bin is well used and the recycling rate substantiates this, there is still significant recyclable material left in the black bin. The reasons for this are yet to be fully explored, however the lack of space in the blue bin and the available capacity in the black bin is undoubtedly one reason. The analyses highlights that a further behavioural change is required from the residents of Poole to ensure that all available recyclable materials are captured in the blue bin rather than the black bin. Greater capacity in the blue bin could provide the tool to address this.
5.5 Most 240 litre black bins in the Borough are nearing the end of their life, the majority are significantly more than 10 years old (the guaranteed life span of wheeled bin being 5 years and the expected life span less than 10 years) and a replacement schedule is required in any event. It is therefore proposed that all failing 240l black bins are replaced with 140l black bins and a 240l blue bin in consultation with the householder.
5.6 Options for the transition from our current position of predominantly 140l blue bins for recycling and 240l black bins for refuse are set out in Appendix 2.
5.7 Options for swap overs are:
· Planned Borough wide compulsory swap
· Phased approach leading to eventual Borough wide compulsory swap
· Voluntary approach* - Stay as we are
· Voluntary approach* - supported by planned education and promotion
* as stated in the report the voluntary approach does not apply to new properties. These are already given 240l blue bins and 140l black bins.
5.6 In summary the benefits of a voluntary swap in conjunction with an education and promotion strategy are
· Support and participation in the scheme remain high
· Costs of transition can be spread over a longer period making the change affordable
· Provides a strategy for replacing broken and damaged bins
6. PROPOSALS
6.1 That based on the information in Appendix 1, the continuation of the blue bin kerbside recycling scheme for the future collection of dry recyclates.
6.2 That the approach to bin swaps is as per Appendix 2.
6.3 All failing 240l black bins are replaced with 140l black bins and a 240l blue bin in consultation with the householder(see 5.5 above)
7. RISKS
7.1 Lack of availability of an MRF to sort co-mingled material. The current mitigation is the development of an outline business case to build a MRF in Poole.
7.2 Lack of availability of a transfer station to transfer waste. The current mitigation is the development of an outline business case to build a transfer station on Hatchpond. The existing licensed transfer station is at the Nuffield site.