Agenda item

(To receive a report by Matthew Michell (Senior Commissioning Officer (Waste)), which provides a summary of the background, progress to date, and forward plan for the development of a Joint Municipal Waste Management Strategy for Lincolnshire)

The Committee received a report in connection with the progress to date and forward plan for the development of a Joint Municipal Waste Management Strategy (JMWMS) for Lincolnshire. The public consultation on the Strategy would run from 4 April to 2 July 2018. As part of the consultation process the Committee's comments were sought. Comments from the consultation exercise would be considered by the Lincolnshire Waste Partnership in producing a revised Strategy to come before this Committee in the Autumn before the Strategy was subsequently approved by the full Council.

Comments by the Committee and the responses of officers included:-

·    The reduction in recycling rates could be caused by the reduction in packaging.

·    The closure of some household waste recycling centres was causing fly tipping in some areas and some sites were difficult to get to because of their location. Officers stated that there were currently no plans to re-open Whisby but these comments would be fed in as part of the consultation process.

·    The recycling options required simplification as the public had problem knowing what could and could not be recycled.

·    The hierarchy of how waste should be handled was very good. There was a need for local authorities to work with businesses. Officers stated that a food waste pilot project was due to take place in an area of South Kesteven District Council and to use the waste for the production of energy. It was also hoped that households would realise how much food they were wasting and its cost.

·    What was the cost to build a new Energy from Waste plant? The Executive Councillor for Commercial and Environmental Management stated that the cost of building a new plant was in the region of £1m per thousand tonnes.

·    It was noted that recycling rates were down and poor recycling led to an increase in the Council Tax because of increased disposal costs. It was also noted that collection authorities in Lincolnshire operated different types of collection services. Officers stated that the reduction in recycling rates was due to people becoming lazy in their recycling habits and contamination of recycled material was an issue which affected the cost of disposal.

·    Plastic bottle litter was a big problem on the east coast. It was noted that Germany had a system of refunding the return of plastic bottles and a similar system should be introduced in this country. Officers stated that the introduction of plastic bottle banks paying a refund was being examined by the Government, although it should be noted that current plastic recycling relied on income from recycled plastic.

·    Had Slippery Gowt landfill site been mothballed? The opening of the new Household Waste Recycling Centre in Boston was welcomed. Officers stated that Slippery Gowt landfill site had been mothballed.

·    The recycling of glass in household bins needed to be clarified as glass was recyclable in some areas and not others. The Executive Councillor agreed that more clarity was required about what could and could not be recycled adding that glass mixed with paper could reduce the quality of the recycled paper.

RESOLVED

(a) That the comments made by the Committee be compiled into a formal response to be taken into consideration as part of the on-going public consultation process.

(b) That Members of the Committee be encouraged to respond individually to the on-going public consultation process.

(c) That the Committee receive a further report on the Strategy when it had been revised in the light of responses received through the public consultation process.