Issue - items at meetings - Adoption of Municipal Waste Management Strategy

Report of the Director of Environment (copy attached).

(1)         That Cabinet endorses the Waste Management Strategy for Brighton & Hove.

(2)         That Cabinet approves the transfer of up to £1.01m from the waste PFI reserve to fund the strategy over three years 2010/11 to 2013/14 and that the first call on any savings generated will be to repay in full the amount transferred from the reserve.

(3)         That Cabinet notes that the delivery of the strategy is expected to result in estimated savings of more than £1.1m over the same 4 year period and savings of about £0.4m per annum thereafter.

193.1                The Cabinet considered a report of the Director of Environment summarising the results of the consultation on the draft Waste Management Strategy, the subsequent revisions made seeking approval for its adoption.

193.2                Councillor Kitcat welcomed the strategy as a whole, but expressed disappointment in relation to some of the targets, particularly in relation to recycling rates. He noted that the sustainability appraisal echoed his concerns and suggested a review in 2011. He stated that the Green Group remained opposed to incineration of waste and disagreed with the justification for not introducing food waste collections; he advised that the council should consider the full range of approaches available.

He reported that he was supportive of a number of the initiatives and pilots proposed, and hopeful in relation to garden waste collection, but that the strategy had missed opportunities to significantly reduce waste.

193.3                The Chairman explained that composting was a far more sustainable approach to dealing with food waste and that residents would never support a move to the fortnightly collections required to make food waste collections work.

193.4                Councillor Mitchell welcomed the strategy and was grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the consultation. She welcomed the continued subsidisation of compost bins and advised that a comprehensive campaign was required to communicate the importance of composting to residents. She suggested that there was scope to trial small scale food waste collections where there was a demand, as well as a pilot for neighbourhood composting that could link to an allotment site. She added that targets appeared low and that she was concerned aims to increase recycling rates would be supported only by a communications campaign.

193.5                Councillor Watkins echoed comments to consider approaches for tackling food waste.

193.6                Councillor Theobald explained that the targets within the strategy were set at a realistic and achievable level. He stated that it was necessary to carry out a targeted communications campaign to tackle the food waste issue. He advised that the council was still considering the possibility of green waste collections, but that the charges required made a scheme challenging to implement. He added that additional collections would not be very environmentally sustainable because it would require more vehicles on the road. He confirmed that the targets would be reviewed in 2011.

193.7                The Assistant Director for City Services confirmed that discussions with the Older People’s Council and Brighton Community Composting had been beneficial in relation to alternative green waste collections. Assistant Director hoped that a better service could be achieved. She further explained that the council was working with Trading Standards in regard to legal powers aimed at preventing excessive packaging; furthermore that supermarkets were being actively encouraged to reduce packaging.

193.8                RESOLVED - That having considered the information and the reasons set out in the report, the Cabinet accepted the following recommendations:

(1)         That the Waste Management Strategy for Brighton & Hove be endorsed.

(2)         That the transfer of up to £1.01m from the waste PFI reserve be approved to fund the strategy over three years 2010/11 to 2013/14 and that the first call on any savings generated will be to repay in full the amount transferred from the reserve.

(1)         That it be noted that the delivery of the strategy is expected to result in estimated savings of more than £1.1m over the same 4 year period and savings of about £0.4m per annum thereafter.