Agenda item

To receive and consider the report of the Director of People and Places (enclosed). 

1.         Recommendation approved. 

2.         Recommendation approved. 

The Executive Member for Places introduced a report updating Members on the performance of the waste contract and made recommendations on how the Council introduced food waste collections.  LCC no longer required separate food waste collections from all properties as part of the current cost sharing agreement.

Veolia had continued to meet their monthly performance targets and Chorley achieved a recycling rate of 48.55% in 2010/11, which was the best in Lancashire. 

It was proposed to start collections of co-mingled food and garden waste from all properties with a brown bin from March 2012.  Other than initial publicity costs, there were no additional costs for vehicles or containers. As the Farington Waste Technology Park (WTP) only passed the acceptance tests for food waste in September it was prudent to wait until after the winter period before fully introducing comingled food and garden waste collections.  Introducing the new changes in March 2012, at the start of the growing season, would ensure that residents had significant amounts of garden waste to mix their food waste with and the service was unlikely to be disrupted by severe winter weather.

The deferral of separate food waste collections from properties without gardens followed the results of the trials collecting food waste separately from terraced properties undertaken by South Ribble Borough Council and Preston City Council.  The participation rate was 35% for South Ribble and 40% for Preston City Council.  As participation rates were lower when compared to properties with gardens the cost per tonne of food waste collected was significantly more expensive for these property types.  Pendle Council suspended their separate food waste in October 2011 to 7,000 terraced properties partly because of the high cost of collection.

Officers clarified that residents retained the option to dispose of food waste in their domestic bin. 

Decision made

1.         To introduce food waste collections to those properties (37,500) with a garden waste collection (brown bin) in March 2012.

2.         To defer separate food waste collections from properties without gardens (8,500) are for the duration of the contract (2019) which would save £70,000 per year.

Reason for decision

1.         By starting co-mingled food and garden waste collections to properties with gardens in March 2012 the reputational risk to the Council would be reduced compared to starting these collections now when garden waste tonnages diminish over the winter months. There was the possibility we could experience disruption to collections if there was another period of severe winter weather. There were no additional costs, apart from initial publicity, in providing comingled food and garden waste collections and it had the potential to increase the recycling rate.

2.         Lancashire County Council had indicated that separate food waste collections are no longer a requirement of the current cost sharing agreement. Therefore, by deferring food waste collections from properties without gardens for the remaining seven years of the contract the council would save £70,000 per annum (plus RPIX).

Alternative option(s) considered and rejected

1.         To introduce co-mingled food and garden waste collections now. There is the possibility of disruption due to severe weather and operational issues at Farington WTP over the winter months. It would seem prudent to delay the introduction of co-mingled food and garden waste collections until spring (March 2012) to ensure the scheme has a successful start.

2.         Lancashire County Council do not require diversion all food waste for composting. Leaving some food waste in the residual waste will assist with energy generation at Farington WTP.