Agenda and minutes

Councillor R A Shore paid tribute to former Chairman of the Partnership, Councillor John Smith who had recently passed away.  Councillor Smith had been a member of the Partnership from June 2007 as the representative for South Kesteven District Council and had always been involved in the work of the Partnership.

The Partnership noted that Councillor Smith had advised the Council that he was not planning to stand for re-election, and that this would have been his last meeting.  Councillor Smith wished it to be known that he had enjoyed his time as a member of the Waste Partnership and that he thought that much progress had been made over the years and he thanked Members for their participation, which had been much appreciated.

He had also commented that the year had been exceptionally difficult and the way forward was still wrought with problems which he hoped would be resolved.  He thanked all who had over the years been involved in organising and leading the Partnership.

Councillor Shore invited Members to hold a one minute's silence in memory of Councillor Smith.

RESOLVED

That Councillor R A Shore be elected Chairman of the Lincolnshire           Waste Partnership for the ensuing year.

COUNCILLOR R A SHORE IN THE CHAIR

RESOLVED

That the election of Vice-Chairman be deferred to the 4 June 2015 meeting.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Bob Adams (South Kesteven District Council), S O'Dare (East Lindsey District Council), R Gamba-Jones (South Holland District Council) and Simon Mitchell (Environment Agency).

It was noted that Councillor Bob Adams (South Kesteven District Council) was to have been in attendance on behalf of the late Councillor J Smith for this meeting only.

There were no declarations of members' interests declared at this stage of the proceedings.

One member requested that in future it would be useful that when a question was asked at the meeting and a response was necessary to be made outside of the meeting that this was recorded in the minutes.  This would then avoid Members of the Partnership having to endure long delays in getting a response to a question asked at the meeting.

RESOLVED

That the minutes of the Lincolnshire Waste Partnership meeting held on 14 July 2014 be signed by the Chairman as a correct record subject to Steve Bird (City of Lincoln Council) being added to the list of those in attendance at the meeting.

(To approve the proposed schedule of meeting dates for the Lincolnshire Waste Partnership in 2015/16)

Consideration was given to a report from the Group Manager – Environmental Services, which sought agreement for meeting dates for the Lincolnshire Waste Partnership, Member/Officer Pre-Meetings and Officer Working Group meeting dates for 2015/16.

In accordance with the governance arrangements a table setting out the said dates was detailed on page 13 of the report presented.

One Member highlighted that it was necessary to keep to the dates presented wherever possible in order to take the work of the Partnership forward.

RESOLVED

That agreement was given to the dates as detailed below:-

(To provide Members of the Lincolnshire Waste Partnership with an opportunity to update the rest of the Partnership on any developments within their areas which may affect or be of interest to the Partnership as a whole)

Members of the Partnership were provided with the opportunity to update the rest of the Partners on any developments within their individual districts.  The following was reported.

The Chairman reminded the Partnership that it was very important for all Partners around the table to work together to provide the best for the residents of Lincolnshire.

Lincolnshire County Council - The Group Manager – Environmental Services advised that:

·         The Gainsborough Household Waste Recycling Centre had opened just before Easter on 16 March 2015;

·         The electrical fault at the Gainsborough Waste Transfer Station had now been rectified; and

·         The Household Waste Recycling Centres were under consideration as part the Councils on going commissioning cycle to save money.

The Partnership was also advised by the Environmental Service Team Leader (Waste) that the interim three month contract with Mid UK was going well.

North Kesteven District Council – The Partnership was advised that they were listening to the concerns from the Energy from Waste facility regarding garden waste mixed in with residual waste and the problems it caused.  They intended to ban the collection of green waste from April 2015 under Section 46.  It was also reported that the Council was in the early stages of procuring a new depot in Metheringham.

South Kesteven District Council – Members of the Partnership were advised that seasonal waste was well supported.  That work was on going with regard to contamination from mixed hereditaments.  It was highlighted that the biggest issue was making savings following the removal of the recycling credits.

The Chairman reiterated the County Council was devastated as well.

Boston Borough Council – The Partnership noted that 2015 garden waste collection had started mid-March.  It was highlighted that for 2014, Boston Borough Council had collected over 5,000 tonnes of green waste from 14,000 green waste bins.  It was also noted that Boston was still not charging for the green waste collection.  The Council had banned garden waste from residual bins in 2012 at the start of the garden waste service and that had had a major effect on residual waste tonnages, which had dropped hugely resulting in far less residual waste going to the Energy from Waste Plant.  It was further reported that the overall waste diversion figure for 2014/15 was around 44%.

The Partnership was also advised that the waste collection service provided by the Borough Council for the southernmost area of East Lindsey District Council was working well. 

South Holland District Council – The Partnership noted that the green bag lottery had worked well.  The textile collection had worked well and as a result had been extended.  Following the survey the green waste collection had been narrowed down, a sum was to be agreed and signing up was still to start.  It was highlighted that capacity was an issue as it was impossible to run the service from the existing depot.

East Lindsey District Council – The Partnership were advised that the interim contract with Mid UK had started and the Council  ...  view the full minutes text for item 51g

(To receive a report which provides the Lincolnshire Waste Partnership with an update in relation to District Heating)

The Partnership gave consideration to a report from the Group Manager – Environmental Services, which advised that Lincolnshire County Council supported by the City of Lincoln and North Kesteven District Council had applied for and had been successful in obtaining grant funding from the Heat Network Development Unit (HNDU).  It was noted that HNDU was a team that had been set up by the Department of Energy and Climate Change to provide support to local authorities who wished to establish or expand district heating networks.

It was reported that the grant awarded to LCC totalled £80,400 and was aimed to kick start heating projects through a number of development stages.  LCC had obtained support for:

·         Stage 1 (Area Wide Heat Mapping)

·         Stage 2 (Energy Masterplanning)

·         Stage 3 (Feasibility Studies)

Appended to the report was:

·         Appendix 1 which contained details of the Project Area for study in Stage 1 (Area Heat Wide Mapping);

·         Appendix 2 contained information relating to the draft programme to deliver stages 1, 2 and 3;

·         Appendix 3 provided details on what each of the stages covered; and

·         Appendix 4 provided a copy of the Terms of Reference for the governance structure.

The Group Manager – Environmental Services thanked the City of Lincoln and North Kesteven District Council Members of the Partnership for their support for this Project and highlighted that this was a good example of the Partnership working together.

It was noted that currently the Project was waiting for the appointed of a dedicated person from HBDU to work with the Project Board and Consultation Group.

During discussion, it was highlighted that in order to be more efficient the Partnership would need to work together to have a more consistent approach to the waste being presented to the Energy from Waste Plant.

It was agreed that a progress report should be brought back to the Partnership to review in 8/9 months' time.

RESOLVED

That the report be noted.

(To receive a report which outlines the need to start the process to refresh the Joint Municipal Waste Management Strategy)

The Partnership gave consideration to a report from the Group Manager – Environmental Services, which provided the background to the formation of the Joint Municipal Waste Management Strategy (JMWMS).  It was noted that the present version of the JMWMS was published in 2008, and that this document was expected to be refreshed every five years.

It was reported that the Partnership had on the 17 October 2013 received a JMWMS report on the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), a copy of this was attached at Appendix A to the report for the Members consideration.  The purpose of this report was to present the scoping stage of the SEA process, a copy of the Scoping Report was also attached at Appendix B. 

The Partnership noted that some of the content of the report was out of date and that the progression of the JMWMS had been delayed due to the extensive considerations regarding the Mixed Dry Recycling contract.

It was highlighted to Members that the purpose of the report was to re-start the process, confirm staff resources and to update the work undertaken on the SEA.  It was noted that the Chief Executive workshops were working better and that there was an officers workshop to be held on 28 April 2015 to start setting the scene and looking at the important issues.

During discussion, one member highlighted that the Partnership needed to work together and become more realistic going forward to overcome the issues, particularly those relating to the Energy from Waste Plant and MRF.

The Chairman reminded all Members that everyone around the table had signed up to the Joint Municipal Waste Management Strategy and as such had shared responsibility to make things work for Lincolnshire. 

RESOLVED

1.    That the Officer Working Group be tasked to progress the production of the Joint Municipal Waste Management Strategy (JMWMS), to review the previous work on the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) and to report regularly to the Partnership on progress made.

2.    That the resourcing of County and District Officers to produce the required JMWMS before the end of 2017 be noted.

(To receive a presentation on the Countywide Mixed Dry Recycling Contract)

The Partnership received a presentation from the Assistant Director (Environment, Planning and Customer Services), which provided information on the Invitation to Tender for the Lincolnshire Countywide Service Provision of Receiving, Haulage, Sorting and Marketing of Materials for Recycling.

A copy of the presentation was detailed on pages 115 to 125 of the agenda.

The presentation made reference to:-

·         The Timetable for the Tender Process;

·         General overview of the contract and the requirements, and that an interim three month contract had been awarded from 1 April 2015 to 30 June 2015, as a result of the previous contactor withdrawing before Christmas.  It was noted that the revised contract would be from 1 July 2015 for 2 years nine months with one plus one year possible extensions;

·         The Core Specifications; and

·         The Pricing Schedule and Evaluation.

During discussion, particular reference was made to the fact that the contractor amounts per tonne could result in it becoming very expensive for the County Council. 

(To receive a report which sets out the position in relation to incinerator bottom ash being included within recycling performance)

The Partnership gave consideration to a report from the Environmental Services Team Leader (Waste), which advised that the contract with FCC for the Energy from Waste facility required Incinerator Bottom Ash (IBA) arising from the thermal treatment to be sent for cleaning, and to remove oversize material with the remainder going for recycling in a breeze block type application, or as an aggregate substitution in construction.

It was highlighted that under current legislation IBA from the plant at Hykeham was reported separately on the national Waste Data Flow system but was not counted towards the overall recycling performance of the County.  It was noted that the Lincolnshire EfW facility only took municipal solid waste.

The Partnership were advised that it was believed that certain countries did include IBA in the figures used to calculate recycling performance, and the reason for this happening was as a result of transposition of EU regulations into national legislation as this was open to different interpretations by different sovereign governments.

This argument also applied to scrap metal as that was removed from the IBA at the plant itself, which was also reported separately, but could not be counted towards recycling performance.

Members were asked if they supported a letter being sent on behalf of the Lincolnshire Waste Partnership to the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) covering the following aspects:

1.    Highlighting the unique approach with the both Lincolnshire EfW and supporting contract requiring this material be recycled.

2.    Requesting clarification of the UK position on including IBA in calculating Waste Disposal Authority recycling performance.

3.    Requesting clarification of the approach being adopted by other countries within the EU to the inclusion or other wise of IBA in calculating local authority performance.

4.    Seeking a change in the UK to allow facilities that only process municipal solid waste to include IBA in the calculation of the Waste Disposal Authority recycling performance.

5.    Copy this letter to the National Association of Waste Disposal Officers and request that they also lobby Defra on behalf of all Waste Disposal Authorities for a change to recycling performance accounting allowing the inclusion of Incinerator Bottom Ash from Municipal Solid Waste.

RESOLVED

That a letter be sent to Defra covering the 5 aspects listed above, and that the letter should be signed by all Partners of the Lincolnshire Waste Partnership.

(To receive report which provides the Partnership with an update on the performance of the Energy from Waste plant)

Consideration was given to a report from the Group Manager – Environmental Services, which provided an update on progress in relation to the Energy from Waste Plant. 

The Partnership was advised that the plant had been officially opened on 27 November 2014, by Vince Cable MP, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.  The event had gone well with 70 people attending the event.  There had been extensive media coverage and the event had been considered by partners to be widely successful.

The report detailed the waste tonnages and it was noted that the plan was expected to achieve the target of 150,000 tonnes for 2014/15.  Full details of the tonnages up to the second week in March were show in the table on page 129 of the report.

It was reported that the waste and transfer stations continued to consistently perform well, with Authorities waste being seamlessly processed.  A nominal amount of commercial waste was presented, which was currently being accepted due to the efficiency of the facility.

The Partnership was advised that FCC the plant operators were going to submit a planning application for an additional 20,000 tonnes, to achieve 170,000 tonnes capacity.  It was highlighted that this linked in to the requirements of the Waste Strategy.

Members were advised that there had been one complaint relating to odour, which had been responded to and to date no further response had been received.

The Group Manager – Environmental Services advised that the Energy from Waste facility was only one part of the solution, further work was necessary relating to anaerobic digestion; and the processing of food waste.

Councillor R Wright wished it to be noted that he worked for a company who dealt with Lindum Waste.

RESOLVED

            That the report be noted.

(To receive a report which provides an update on the Lincolnshire approach to TEEP compliance)

Consideration was given to a report from the Environmental Service Team Leader with regard to the implications of the changes to the Waste Regulations; this included the requirement from 1 January 2015 to have separate collections of the four key recyclable materials of paper, plastic, metals and glass.

Part of the process was to undertake an assessment of the collection methodology being used and whether the introduction of separation collections where materials collected were entirely separate were Technically, Environmentally and Economically Practicable (TEEP).

It was highlighted that despite repeated undertakings, Defra had failed to produce guidelines on how to complete a TEEP assessment; however a group of organisations involved in the public sector side of the waste industry had produced a roadmap which had been widely adopted as the best approach to assessing TEEP.

The Partnership was reminded that as part of the preparatory work for the countywide mixed dry recyclable (MDR) contract all Lincolnshire Authorities had used the roadmap to complete a TEEP assessment, and as a result all had concluded that the collections systems currently in place were TEEP compliant with periodic on-going re-assessments to make sure collections remain TEEP compliant.    

Reference was made to the possibility of a legal challenge being launched against the current widespread usage of co-mingled collection by targeting an authority or authorities. The Partnership were advised that during soft market testing for the MDR contract a number of Material Reclamation Facility (MRF) operators did not expect any challenge to be mounted until mid-2016, or when a full years data became available.

It was highlighted that the Lincolnshire Officer Waste Group would be monitoring the situation from both a local and national perspective.

During discussion, reference was made to the need to have a more consistent approach to MDR across Lincolnshire and for the partners to agree on what would be a good mix.

It was agreed that this matter would be looked into at the next Lincolnshire Officer Waste Group meeting.

RESOLVED

          That the report be noted.   

(To receive a report which outlines the National Framework Compost Bin Scheme for 2015/16)

Consideration was given to a report from the Environmental Services Team Leader – Waste, which requested the Partnership to endorse the decision of the Chairman and the Chairman of the Waste Officer Group to continue with the National Framework Compost Bin Scheme for 2015/16.

It was reported that support had be given by all partners to the active promotion of the scheme and the inclusion of the contact information on individual council's websites.

It was highlighted that information had arrived too late for the Waste Officer Group to consider, and that details had been circulated to the Officer Group and the Partnership ahead of this meeting. 

Detailed at Appendix A was a copy of the Straight Client Pricing for Home Compost Bin Totally Managed Service for Members information.

RESOLVED

That the decision of the Chairman of the Waste Partnership and the Chairman of the Waste Officer Group to continue with the National Framework Compost Bin Scheme during 2015/16 be endorsed.