Agenda item - Improve Brighton & Hove's Recycling Scheme Petition

Report of the Executive Director, Economy, Environment & Culture

That the Environment, Transport & Sustainability Committee notes that:

1)        Work on an Increasing Recycling Project and education campaign is included in officers’ current work programmes and will be launched early in 2019.

2)        The work already underway to reduce food waste and an initial exploration of a food waste collection service is under discussion with Veolia with details to be worked on within the City Environment Modernisation (CEM) Programme as part of the Increasing Recycling Project.

3)        There is currently no, or very limited, markets for the recycling of pots, tubs and trays (PTTs) and therefore it is unlikely that a business case can be made for the investment required in collection and sorting services. However, the situation will be closely monitored for market changes.

4)        A ‘service guarantee’ will be introduced at the end of the Increasing Recycling Project when the full extent and means by which materials can be recycled have been explored taking into account the government’s forthcoming waste strategy proposals.

5)        The council’s events team has a sustainable events policy and works with event organisers to reduce single-use plastics (SUPs) at events. The progress made is illustrated by a case study of the plastics reduction at the Brighton Marathon, which has already been presented to the Tourism, Development & Culture Committee as part of a report on the events programme and further updates are planned.

6)        An action plan setting out how the council aims to achieve the waste directive of increasing recycling rates to 50% will be presented to the committee in January 2019 as part of the CEM update report.

7)        That the Committee agrees that preliminary costing for increasing the range of plastics the Council collects, and a preliminary costing for the setting up of a food waste collection trial, will be provided at the meeting of Environment, Transport, and Sustainability Committee to be held on January 22^nd 2019.

45.1      The Committee considered a report of the Executive Director, Economy, Environment & Culture as requested by Full Council at its meeting on 18 October 2018 in response to a petition received for debate.

45.2      Councillor Littman noted that Councillor Deane had the previous year put a question to Full Council requesting that notices be placed on communal bins directing people to organisations such as Magpie that took a greater variety of plastics and other recyclables than the council and asked if there were any plans to implement such a scheme. Councillor Littman noted that efforts to reduce use of single-use plastics in council buildings had so far had limited success. Furthermore, Councillor Littman noted that a Motion had been passed at the Full Council meeting of 19 April 2018 that requested a report be presented to the Tourism, Development & Culture Committee to consider asking event organisers to avoid use of single-use plastics and asked whether this was possible or if a condition could be placed on the licence requiring events to be single-use plastic free. Councillor Littman commented that weekly recycling collections had led to an upturn in recycling rates across the country and he hoped that could be pursued.

45.3      The Assistant Director, City Environmental Management replied that notices on communal bins was something that could be looked at as part of the recycling education campaign with weekly recycling and fortnightly refuse collections an matter that would be kept under consideration. The Executive Director, Economy, Environment & Culture added that Policy, Resources & Growth Committee had received two reports on single-use plastics with the most recent agreeing a policy for the council. Furthermore, an Events Strategy that would include an events checklist would be consulted upon and considered by the Tourism, Development & Culture Committee at a future meeting.

45.4      Councillor Atkinson stated that given the lack of market demand for recycling plastics, a suitable approach would be for councils to lobby manufacturers and supermarkets for a reduction in plastic packaging. Councillor Atkinson asked if the recycling project was ongoing or time-limited and whether committee would receive regular updates.

45.5      The Assistant Director, City Environmental Management answered that the recycling project would be ongoing as the area was one of constant change and development.

45.6      Councillor Miller noted that there was potential in improving recycling rates to create capacity at Newhaven Incinerator as well as income generation for using the Incinerator to process food waste that in turn, could potentially boost the proposed Business Case.

45.7      The Assistant Director, City Environmental Management replied that revenue opportunities would be a matter given consideration particularly as many other authorities currently exported waste and the potential for changes to the export market in the near future under the Brexit process.

45.8      Councillor Wares commended officers for the level of detail provided in the report given the short deadline they were given to do so. Councillor Wares stated that the Cityclean service clearly needed to be modernised and stabilise its core functions. On that basis, Councillor Wares hoped that the Green Group motion was intended to request high level figures rather than a detailed costed report.

45.9      On behalf of the Green Group, Councillor Littman moved a motion  to add a recommendation 2.7 as shown in bold italics below:

2.7    That the Committee agrees that preliminary costing for increasing the range of plastics the Council collects, and a preliminary costing for the setting up of a food waste collection trial, will be provided at the meeting of Environment, Transport, and Sustainability Committee to be held on January 22nd 2019.

45.10   Introducing the amendment, Councillor Littman stated that it had been explained in the previous reports and the one before committee that officers were working hard to improve the waste and recycling service and it would be counterproductive to add to that workload. Councillor Littman stated that the motion was intended to provide ball park figures ahead of the Budget Council process and he also hoped that it would push Veolia to provide the figures it had already given to one of the city’s three MP’s. 

45.11   Councillor Greenbaum formally seconded the motion.

45.12   The Chair then put the motion to the vote that passed.

45.13   The Chair then put the recommendations as amended to the vote that passed.

45.14   RESOLVED-

That the Environment, Transport & Sustainability Committee notes that:

1)           Work on an Increasing Recycling Project and education campaign is included in officers’ current work programmes and will be launched early in 2019.

2)           The work already underway to reduce food waste and an initial exploration of a food waste collection service is under discussion with Veolia with details to be worked on within the City Environment Modernisation (CEM) Programme as part of the Increasing Recycling Project.

3)           There is currently no, or very limited, markets for the recycling of pots, tubs and trays (PTTs) and therefore it is unlikely that a business case can be made for the investment required in collection and sorting services. However, the situation will be closely monitored for market changes.

4)           A ‘service guarantee’ will be introduced at the end of the Increasing Recycling Project when the full extent and means by which materials can be recycled have been explored taking into account the government’s forthcoming waste strategy proposals.

5)           The council’s events team has a sustainable events policy and works with event organisers to reduce single-use plastics (SUPs) at events. The progress made is illustrated by a case study of the plastics reduction at the Brighton Marathon, which has already been presented to the Tourism, Development & Culture Committee as part of a report on the events programme and further updates are planned.

6)           An action plan setting out how the council aims to achieve the waste directive of increasing recycling rates to 50% will be presented to the committee in January 2019 as part of the CEM update report.

7)           That the Committee agrees that preliminary costing for increasing the range of plastics the Council collects, and a preliminary costing for the setting up of a food waste collection trial, will be provided at the meeting of Environment, Transport, and Sustainability Committee to be held on January 22^nd 2019.