Agenda item - Wheelie Bin Recycling Trial

Report of the Executive Director Environment, Development & Housing (copy attached).

1.            That the committee approve a trial to introduce wheelie bins for the storage and collection of paper, card, cans and plastic bottles for recycling.

2.            That the committee approve funding for the trial, of up to £135,000 from corporate reserves in the 2015-16 financial year with repayments made over the two following financial years. The repayment will first be funded from any savings generated from increased recycling as a result of the trail, with any remaining repayment funded from identified underspends in the service area such as income generated from new textile recycling and commercial waste schemes.

3.            The trial will assess the impact of the container change on recycling rates, collection efficiency and resident satisfaction with the service to inform any decisions on wider roll out of wheelie bins. 

9.1         The Committee considered a report of the Executive Director Environment, Development & Housing that sought approval to trial wheelie bins for recycling for 4,500 households in areas of Hangleton, South Portslade and North Portslade.

9.2         Councillor Janio asked if there were any plans to consider inserts for glass recycling in the bins as other authorities had done.

9.3         The Head of Strategy & Projects clarified that glass inserts could be considered for the bins against issues of capacity amongst others.

9.4         Councillor Robins asked if residents would have a choice on a 240L or 140L capacity bin.

9.5         The Head of Strategy & Projects stated that the smaller 140L bins may be more appropriate for smaller households and the area would be audited ahead of the trial.

9.6         Councillor West stated that he welcomed the proposal and it was something that his previous administration had been working on for some time. Councillor West stated that the black box recycling was a good idea at their inception but had become redundant over time. This new scheme would be much more helpful for both residents and Cityclean staff collecting recycling material. Councillor West stated that one potential issue was that residents would have to retain a black box for glass recycling which may create confusion but he acknowledged that an insert in the bins for glass recycling may cause the bins to be too heavy. Councillor West urged strong communication with residents on this matter to ensure it was a success.

9.7         Councillor Barradell stated that she welcomed the report adding that she found it surprising that it had not been introduced already as many authorities had done so. Councillor Barradell asked if the council would be collecting the black boxes no longer needed as they could be reused and if a breakdown could be provided on the £5.75 per household cost of communication materials for the trial.

9.8         The Head of Strategy & Projects clarified that the black boxes would be collected and reused in other parts of the city and that he would provide a breakdown of the £5.75 cost per household for communication materials subsequent to the meeting as this was not currently to hand.

9.9         Councillor Miller asked if there would be any prevention to residents continuing to use black boxes for recycling and asked for more information on paragraph 3.11 of the report that stated that some areas properties would be suitable for wheelie bins.

9.10      The Head of Strategy & Projects stated that the new bins would be a different colour and would be clearly labelled as recycling bins. The current black boxes would no longer be collected by the refuse teams and that would be made clear in the communication and engagement with residents. The Head of Strategy and Projects added that some properties would not be suitable for the new 240L bins due to a lack of space at the front of the properties and that it would not be practical to store these to the rear of the properties as many black boxes currently were as they would have to be taken through the house.

9.11      Councillor Nemeth noted that he had found some animosity toward the black bins and asked what colour the new bins would be.

9.12      The Head of Strategy & Projects stated that a decision on this matter had not yet been made.

9.13      RESOLVED

1.            That the committee approve a trial to introduce wheelie bins for the storage and collection of paper, card, cans and plastic bottles for recycling.

2.            That the committee approve funding for the trial, of up to £135,000 from corporate reserves in the 2015-16 financial year with repayments made over the two following financial years. The repayment will first be funded from any savings generated from increased recycling as a result of the trail, with any remaining repayment funded from identified underspends in the service area such as income generated from new textile recycling and commercial waste schemes.

3.            The trial will assess the impact of the container change on recycling rates, collection efficiency and resident satisfaction with the service to inform any decisions on wider roll out of wheelie bins.