NOTICE OF MOTION

LITTER REDUCTION

This Council requests that:

1. A report is commissioned for the next suitable meeting of the ET&S Committee, outlining a further strategic response to the problem of littering, including:

-      joint working between the council, supermarkets and hospitality industry that can stem the flow of rubbish at the source

-      the development of a voluntary scheme, whereby businesses can be supported to develop a ‘return/refund’ system for disposable items, to help minimise littering among customers; and where participation is rewarded e.g. through promotional materials / stickers for businesses who join the scheme;

-      details on how any strategy aligns with the council’s unnecessary single-use plastics pledge

- an update on the council’s food waste trial

- the strategy to deal with seasonal increases in littering especially on the beaches to avoid unnecessary build-up of waste by bins whilst also not impacting on general residential household waste and recycling collection services through-out the city

- the potential to increase the number of Civil Enforcement Officers employed by the council

- the potential to increase the number of staff and support equipment (including vehicles) that can be dedicated to litter picking throughout the city on a planned or response basis

2. That the Chief Executive writes to the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, requesting:

- that the Government urgently provide an update on the status of their ‘Litter Strategy’, which suggests that a ‘Reducing Litter caused by Food on the Go: A Voluntary Code of practice,’ scheme will be rolled out in 2020/21; and asks that schemes of this type be made mandatory;

- the immediate introduction of the proposals in the Government’s Litter Strategy, to ensure packaging is more clearly labelled, to allow local councils to identify and record major sources of litter;

3.     That the Chief Executive also writes to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government requesting that government introduce an ‘Excessive Packaging Levy’, to generate funds to help councils deal with the £800m costs of cleaning up litter in the UK annually.

Supporting Information:

While recognising that primary responsibility for littering lies with litterers; this council notes it is essential that partners in the business community are engaged to reduce littering at the source. Littering in the city has also surged as a result of the Covid-19 lockdown restrictions, during which time 11 tonnes of rubbish was left on the beach in a single day, four times the usual summer average.

The Government’s proposed Litter Strategy annual report shows a number of measures still yet to be brought forward https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/836953/litter-strategy-annual-report-2018-2019a.pdf

The waste management industry body the Environmental Services Association (ESA) proposes levies as a way to fund councils spending vast amounts on clearing litter https://bit.ly/3efJPbQ