BOROUGH OF POOLE
ENVIRONMENT OVERVIEW GROUP
5 OCTOBER 2006
REVIEW OF GARDEN WASTE COLLECTION SCHEME
1 PURPOSE AND POLICY CONTEXT
1.1 To provide members with an update on the performance of the Garden Waste Kerbside Recycling Scheme, four months after its implementation.
1.2 To provide members with a proposal to extend the Garden Waste Collection Service which will further assist in the improvement of the Councils recycling rate whilst mitigating against the risk of LATS penalties in accordance with the Council’s adopted Waste Strategy.
2 DECISION REQUIRED
That members support and recommend to Cabinet:
2.1 That the current Kerbside collection is withdrawn between the period of December 2006 and March 2007. That it is replaced with additional Winter bring sites to encompass areas currently with a fortnightly collection of garden waste, and that these facilities are made available to all Poole residents.
2.2 That the kerbside garden waste collection scheme which commenced in June 2006 to the 12,000 properties is provided from April 2007 until October 2007.
2.3 That the current scheme is extended in April 2007 to a maximum of 12,000 new properties.
2.4 That two garden waste bring sites are operated from April 2007 to October 2007 at two locations in areas not provided with the kerbside collection.
3 BACKGROUND INFORMATION
3.1 The Council’s Household Waste Strategy was adopted by Council on 30th July 2002. A key factor of the strategy included the future introduction of a green waste collection scheme.
3.2 In December 2004 a report was presented to members outlining the potential implications of the Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme (LATS). Members agreed to note the potential implications and minuted that “The Head of Environmental and Consumer Protection Services explore options and strategies that avoid or mitigate against the possibility of financial penalty becoming payable under this scheme and that such options be presented to the Environment Overview Group at a future date”.
3.3 On the 7th March 2006 Cabinet approved
· That a green waste collection be introduced within the Borough and that the implementation began with 12,000 properties.
· That a green waste bring site scheme be introduced to 2 areas not benefiting from the first stage of the green bring site scheme or close proximity to the Nuffield Recycling Centre.
· A key policy change – banning the placing of any green waste in the black refuse bins in all of the properties serviced by the kerbside green waste scheme.
4 CURRENT POSITION
4.1 Poole has a statutory recycling target of 30% for 2005/06. This has been reduced from 40% following Central Governments capping of recycling targets for all Local Authorities to 30% in December 2004. Figures have not yet been agreed for future years, however draft figures from DEFRA indicate that this will rise back to 40% by the end of the decade.
4.2 A kerbside garden waste scheme was launched to 12,000 properties in June 2006. The collections have been achieved by double shifting the refuse vehicles resulting in a fortnightly collection consisting of ten rounds encompassing six locations within the borough. The routes were proposed by SLR Consulting to maximise the green waste collected whilst maintaining an efficient collection process. In addition to the kerbside collections two bring sites have been introduced to areas not currently receiving the scheme.
4.3 The table below illustrates waste collected from May – August 2006 in comparison with the same period in 2005.
Figure 1. Garden and Black bin Waste in 05/06 – 06/07
May / June / July / August2005 / 2006 / 2005 / 2006 / 2005 / 2006 / 2005 / 2006
Recycling Rate / 29.22 / 32.65 / 27.89 / 35.93 / 25.07 / 37.56 / 28.67 / 36.03
Household Recycling Rate (BV82a) / 21.25 / 24.34 / 18.84 / 23.36 / 18.57 / 23.04 / 20.54 / 22.81
Household Composting Rate(BV82b) / 7.97 / 8.31 / 9.06 / 12.57 / 6.49 / 14.52 / 8.13 / 13.23
Kerbside Green (tonnes) / 0 / 0 / 0 / 445.92 / 0 / 307.28 / 0 / 315.12
Kerbside Refuse (tonnes) / 3499.22 / 4142.83 / 4091.52 / 3862.42 / 3722.28 / 3608.32 / 4163.7 / 3837.62
4.4 It was estimated that the quantity of green waste available for collection over the Summer period (April – October), based on 80% participation and 80% diversion is 2200 tonnes, or 14.3 kg/hhold/collection. The data in Figure 1 suggests that this estimation was accurate.
4.5 A Waste Composition analysis was carried out in August 2006 using residual waste from the Borough. The results show that in areas without a garden waste collection, 9.59% of black bin residual waste is garden waste compared to only 1.37% in areas with a kerbside garden waste collection and the “No Green Waste in the black bin” policy in place.
4.6 Bring sites have been located in Bearwood and Rossmore Leisure Centre for three hours on a Saturday on a fortnightly basis for four collections. They have been well received. Tonnage collected has reached 2.8 tonnes a day.
4.7 The composting rate has seen an average increase of 5% on last years figures due to recently introduced initiatives, green waste collection being one. With the likelihood of a 40% recycling rate in the future, the introduction of further properties on the garden waste recycling scheme would assist the Borough in moving this target forward.
4.8 The current options available to residents for disposing of green waste are:
· Home composting
· Leave it in a corner of the garden
· Deliver waste to Nuffield Household Waste Recycling Centre (NHWRC) where residents visiting the site are required to separate out this element for composting
· 12,000 properties in receipt of a garden waste kerbside collection
· Bring sites in Bearwood and Rossmore Leisure Centre
· Put it, with the Council’s current approval, in the refuse bin (except properties in receipt of kerbside collection)
It is the last of these disposal methods which the authority needs to reduce if it is to increase the percentage of waste that it recycles and reduce that which it sends to landfill.
4.9 The introduction of a garden waste collection scheme has also had a significant impact on the number of households wishing to take advantage of the existing policy of swapping their large black residual waste bin for a large blue recycling bin thereby encouraging an increase in the proportion of household waste that they recycle. From 1st January 2006, 1015 swaps have been made. 195 were prior to the delivery of a garden waste scheme and 820 from June to August. We are currently averaging between 150 – 200 swaps per month.
4.10 Some residents in the collection area opted out of the scheme. Reasons included that their garden is predominantly paved or that they are keen home composters therefore not requiring the service. All understood the no garden waste in the black bin policy still applied.
4.11 In order to provide efficient collection rounds, some properties with smaller gardens have been included on the routes. Whilst these residents have wished to participate in the scheme some have found a bin share with a neighbour to be a practical solution.
5. ISSUES AND OPPORTUNITIES
5.1 The currents scheme is due to end for the winter at the end of November. There has been diverse feedback as to the need for a service during winter. Some users are strongly in favour of a winter collection whilst others admit they will have little need.
5.2 There are some practical considerations in relation to this matter.
· Collection will become less efficient due to the fact that winter participation in the scheme will reduce
· Due to the fact that the collection is made using an existing vehicle at the end of the residual round then collection has not been completed until between 7pm and 8pm. This will lead to a health and safety risk during the dark winter evenings and rush hour traffic.
· Communication with service users needs to be clear so that they understand what service is being offered and when collections will resume.
5.3 The kerbside scheme has been welcomed by users. The scheme has increased our composting, and consequently our recycling rate. Green waste going to landfill has been reduced. The scheme has not attracted significant amounts of new waste in to our waste stream.
5.4 Consultants used GIS mapping to select the properties most likely to yield
maximum garden waste and provide effective collection rounds. Their report
supports the extension of the kerbside collection to a further 12,000 properties would provide further benefit to the outcomes described in 5.3
6. PROPOSALS
· Introduce “winter bring sites” to the areas currently serviced by the garden waste kerbside collection and ensure that these are available to all Poole residents.
· Introduce a further phase of a collection scheme providing a compulsory Fortnightly collection service using 240 litre green bin up to an additional 12,000 pre determined properties
· Encourage green bin sharing between residents
· Operating April through to October 2007
· Operating times Mon – Fri 13:00 – 18:00
· Continued usage of garden waste bring collection sites
· Continue to work with Waste Resource Action Programme (WRAP) promoting home composting
6.1 Given the constraints and inefficiencies associated with winter kerbside collections it is proposed to extend the current green bring site provision to areas currently benefiting from a kerbside collection. These will operate on a Saturday and Sunday on a bi-weekly basis and will be available to all Poole residents. A communications strategy will seek to inform all residents of the winter break in kerbside collection and the availability of bring sites. The bring site location and usage will be evaluated to ensure that they are effective.
6.2 Following the successful implementation of the initial scheme including resident’s support and commitment following its introduction, it is proposed that members support the introduction of a 240 litre green bin up to an additional 12,000 pre determined properties.
6.3 It is anticipated that the scheme would mirror the arrangements of the existing scheme. This is a fortnightly collection service operated by a single collection crew, based on a collection vehicle being double shifted and available from 13:00 hours. A new collection crew would operate until 18:00 hours for seven months of the year between April and October annually.
6.4 The scheme would be evaluated in Autumn 2007.
6.5 The methodology for determining the most suitable areas has concentrated on identifying wards that exhibit demographic and environmental profiles expected to yield the highest quantities of garden waste and householder participation. This work was originally carried out independently by SLR Consultants. If the second phase were to be approved SLR would be used again to identify efficient collection rounds.
6.6 That the policy change to ban the placing of any green waste in black refuse bins be maintained and extended to the new properties receiving a garden waste collection service. This will ensure that total waste arisings are managed and that we maximise the amount of green waste diverted from landfill. This policy has received the broad support of residents to date.
7. RISKS
7.1 There is potential for absorbing increased waste through the scheme which in turn will affect overall waste arisings. Evidence from other authorities demonstrates that in practice a significant amount of this waste is already accounted for in the waste stream via the existing refuse bin. The first 3 months of the scheme demonstrate (Figure 4.1) that this has not been the case to date.
7.2 Home composting may decrease as a result of the introduction of a garden waste scheme. However, home composting has continued to be promoted throughout the Borough this year. By its very nature there is no measure of the quantity of waste that is home composted. Consequently it does not have any affect on the recycling rate.
8. PROPOSED TIMETABLE FOR IMPLEMENTATION
Action / DateIntroduce Bring sites to locations currently receiving the kerbside scheme / Go Live – 2nd December
Identify routes and route planning / February 2007
Vacancy Clearance / February 2007
Recruitment (may reallocate existing operatives for initial launch) / February 2007
Bin delivery to Borough of Poole / 1st March 2007
Promotional work e.g.
Road shows
Advertising
Press releases
Letters to participating residents
Leaflets/calendars
Bin stickers / 1st March – 30th April 2007
Delivery of bins to residents – 3 weeks / 12th – 30th March 2007
Commencement of collections / 2 April 2007
9 FUNDING OF SCHEME
9.1 DEFRA have provided financial support to the local authority to under pin and support core funding to improve waste performance and efficiency. This three year grant is available for the period 2005/06 to 2007/08 as follows;
2005/06 £102,000
2006/07 £271,300
2007/08 £284,000
9.2 In addition to this, the base revenue budget of Environmental and Consumer Protection Services made £111,000 available in 2005/06, with £50,000 in 2006/07, £51,000 in 2007/08, and £52,000 in 2008/09 as current and future year allocations.
9.3 Provision has also been made as part of the current Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP) of the Council for an additional revenue budget of £102,000 to be made available to support recycling initiatives from 2008/09.