Agenda and draft minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Foster and Tyrell.

There were no declarations of interest made at this point in proceedings.

The minutes of the previous meeting held on 11 July 2022 were agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

(To receive a report by Victoria Burgess, East Lindsey District Council, which reviews the Terms of Reference for the Lincolnshire Waste Partnership)

Consideration was given to a report which presented proposed amendments to the Terms of Reference for the Lincolnshire Waste Partnership.

Members of the Partnership discussed the report and raised the following matters:

·   Reference to a voting membership comprised of authority representatives was inaccurate as it did not include the voting rights of the representative of Leaders and Chief executives.

·   An interim review mechanism needed to be accounted for to make the terms of reference more flexible and not reliant on reviews every two years.

·   Carbon reduction targets remained a key factor in the decision-making process of the Partnership.

RESOLVED

That the Terms of Reference be agreed subject to the following:

·   at point 15 – clarify that interim changes the terms of reference be allowed

·   at point 8 – remove the term ‘elected members’ and state ‘voting members’

·   at point 2 – clarify the voting rights of the Leaders Group and Chief Executives Group

 (To receive a report by Rachel Stamp, Lincolnshire County Council, which provides an update on the Twin Stream Programme of collecting paper and carboard seperately from mixed dry recycling)

Consideration was given to a report which presented an update on the Twin Stream Programme of collecting paper and carboard.  The following was highlighted:

·   The scheme had been trialled in three WCAs in 2019 and had now been implemented in 4 districts across Lincolnshire.

·   The information campaign ‘Right thing Right Bin’ had proven successful and recycling quality had improved in these areas over the rollout of the scheme.

·   12,800 tons of paper and card had been collected so far.

·   At present, North Kesteven had achieved the highest quality recyclate in the county.

Members of the Partnership discussed the report and raised the following matters:

·   Some residents had expressed a concern regarding where to store the additional bins, especially in urban areas.

·   The scheme was of great benefit in contributing towards the Climate Action Plan.

·   Recycling contamination rates had markedly improved.

·   There was some confusion amongst residents regarding what could be recycled, and some new build residences had not received all the information due to not being included on distribution lists.

Members agreed that the scheme was a positive move forward in terms of environmental impact and waste management.

RESOLVED

That progress to date be noted and the implementation of the programme across Lincolnshire be supported.

(To receive a report by Steve Bird, City of Lincoln Council, on the Joint Municipal Waste Management Strategy (JMWMS))

Consideration was given to a report which presented the review of the Joint Municipal Waste Management Strategy (JMWMS). It was explained that performance indicators and the action plan would be modified to better reflect the aims of the review and that any changes would be brought back to committee for comment.

Members of the Partnership discussed the report and it was clarified that, although some specific details have changed (e.g. separate food waste collections where to be introduced where technically, environmentally and economically practicable), which reflected the strategic ambitions of the Partnership.

RESOLVED

That the amendments to the JMWMS be agreed.

(To receive a report which provides an update of activities taking place in Partner authorities)

Consideration was given to a report which gave opportunity for members of the Partnership to share information that may be of interest. The report was taken as read but it was highlighted that waste collection electric vehicles had been trialled in a real world situation and smaller electric vehicles were being procured and tested.

Members of the Partnership discussed the report and raised the following matters:

·   The top speed of the electric waste vehicles was 36 miles per hour. The speed and range of the vehicles was a concern especially with a full load on board and were not yet suitable for use on all existing routes.

·   Testing of electric waste collection vehicles was being conducted at a national scale and it was a priority of local authorities to ensure innovation ahead of developments pertaining to the Environment Act.

RESOLVED

That the updates provided be noted.

(To receive a verbal report by Charlotte Paine, South Holland District Council, which provides a regulatory update of the implications of the Environment Act)

Consideration was given to presentation on the latest regulatory implications of the Environment Act. The following was clarified:

·   Local authorities would be compensated for managing packaging waste.

·   Waste collection and disposal data quality had to improve.

·   A Deposit Return Scheme for drinks containers (excluding glass) was to come into force within 3 years.

·   Separate collections for glass, metal, plastic, paper and card, food waste, and garden waste were mandated but exceptions remained similar to the previous rules.

·   New burdens funding would be made available to Waste Collection Authorities if further separate collections were mandated. There was a lot of uncertainty regarding separate food waste collection.

·   Further guidance was to be issued as well as statutory instruments.

·   The Partnership was to continue as follows:

o   to engage with DEFRA

o   to lobby and gather evidence

o   to collect data & understand our services & residents

o   to understand and be part of a whole system approach

Members of the Partnership discussed the update and raised the following matters:

·   Uncertainty in relation to future funding settlements was a concern, as extra resources were needed to meet the growing demands of the Environment Act.

·   Benchmarking performance towards meeting aspects of the new Environment Act against other authorities was not yet useful, as there were still too many unknowns.

·   It was anticipated that Local Authorities were expected to finance some of the funding burden of extra services required by the Act.

·   DEFRA was looking to utilise food waste as a resource by separating collection.

·   It was anticipated that a reduction in packaging waste and waste producers following incentives to take responsibility for recycling their own waste would offset some of the additional costs incurred by Local Authorities in providing extra services.

·   The environmental impact of transporting waste needed to feature in any future impact assessments.

The Partnership agreed that further conversations were needed regarding efficient recycling; for instance, if shredding or washing plastic bottles was better. The Partnership also felt that joined up working with other authorities across the country was necessary in order to share limited resources.

RESOLVED

That the update be noted.

(To receive a verbal update from Mike Reed, Lincolnshire County Council, which provides an update on infrastructure and its potential requirements)

Consideration was given to a verbal update on infrastructure and potential new requirements. The following was highlighted:

·   The new funding burdens only affected waste collection authorities, not waste disposal authorities, however services were projected to cost less as a consequence of there being less waste created.

·   Anaerobic digestion of waste was more efficient than burning, which moved it up the waste disposal hierarchy.

·   Regarding haulage of waste, greater capacity of haulage trucks meant greater efficiency so Waste Transfer Stations avoid direct delivery by smaller trucks. However, facilitation of this would require an upgrade to existing assets.

Members of the Partnership discussed the report and were concerned that new building regulations had not been accounted for in DEFRA’s new environmental impact assessments, which could impact planning permission and design and build codes resulting in financial penalties as well as increased capital costs at a time of high interest rates. The Partnership felt that DEFRA should phase-in the changes so partners could adapt and learn.

RESOLVED

That the update be noted.

(To receive a report from David Steels providing an update on the operational workings of both the LWP Health and Safety and Officer Working Groups)

Consideration was given to a report which presented an update on the operational workings of the Partnership’s Health and Safety and Officer Working Groups. The report was taken a read.

Members of the Partnership discussed the report and it was clarified to them that persistent organic pollutants (POPs) were an issue, but that they were under control and being managed successfully.

RESOLVED

That the report be noted.

(To receive a report by Matthew Michell, Lincolnshire County Council, which provides an update on the performance of the LWP against Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) which measure progress against the vision and objectives outlined in the LWP’s Joint Municipal Waste Management Strategy)

Consideration was given to a report which presented an update on the performance of the Partnership against Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) which measure progress against the vision and objectives outlined in the Joint Municipal Waste Management Strategy. The following was highlighted:

·   Green waste had fallen by 8,000 tonnes mostly due to weather conditions – this had impacted many of the service’s performance figures.

·   Recyclate quality had improved due to the continued roll out of the twin stream recycling scheme.

·   Trends in household waste from the pandemic appeared to endure and had become a new normal – this included increased kerbside waste but less overall household waste.

·   The recycling rate had fallen due to less green waste.

Members of the Partnership discussed the report and raised the following matters:

·   Measuring green waste could lead to unhelpful information. Members raised instances where residents remove plant life from their gardens – this reduced waste but did not benefit the environment.

·   Regarding whether partners might undertake separate customer satisfaction surveys, it was suggested that it would be good to follow a unified approach and take the opportunity to put out Partnership messages alongside any surveys, such as ‘Right Thing Right Bin’.

·   Reduced household waste had impacted the energy for waste plant; however, input could be supplement by commercial waste. Work was underway to understand the full impact.

·   Positive communications educating residents on how to recycle properly under the twin stream were paramount in the success of its roll out.

·   Green waste performance measurement were inequitable between authorities that with vastly different geography – such as, urban areas in contrast to rural areas.

RESOLVED

That the report be noted.

(To provide the Lincolnshire Waste Partnership with an opportunty to agree future meeting dates and to suggest items for consideration at future meetings)

Officers reported that the forward plan was being reviewed to establish what matters were of greatest value and interest.

Members of the Partnership agreed that briefings on pertinent aspects of the Environment Act as they came out would be useful.

RESOLVED

That comments be noted.