Agenda item

(A discussion item to enable Partners to discuss any potential impacts and implications for Lincolnshire of the Environment Act)

The Partnership received a presentation which outlined details of potential impacts and implications for Lincolnshire of the Environment Act 2021.  The presentation covered areas for discussion including Defra consultations, impacts on the Lincolnshire Waste Partnership – Enhanced Producer Responsibility (EPR); Deposit Return Schemes (DRS); and Consistency of Collections; Food Waste; Food Waste – Waste Disposal Authority (WDA) Actions.

Partners were provided with the opportunity to discuss the information outlined in the presentation and some of the points raised during discussion included the following:

·       A stakeholder group to enable officers to speak to neighbouring authorities had been set up

·       There would be a need to look at disposal locations for Waste Collection Authorities (WCA’s), and also the haulage of materials.  This would be a significant risk for WCA’s in securing fleets, as all areas of the country would be making these changes at the same time and there would be a limited supply of vehicles.

·       It was queried whether there would be an effect on the capacity of the Energy from Waste facility, and once food waste started to be removed from the waste stream, would there be an option to replace it with green waste.  In terms of Energy from Waste facility throughput, there was more concern regarding volume than the material that going through it.  Capacity had been maximised in recent years, and reducing the volume could have efficiency implications.  FCC were currently examining the implications of this.  If additional capacity became available, there could be an opportunity to draw in private sector waste.

·       Concerns had been raised around transportation, and officers advised that they were aware of potential issues and technology was changing constantly in this area.  There would be a need to be pragmatic and be led by what was available in the market and the available infrastructure, for example, in relation to electric vehicles.

·       It was noted that positive discussions had taken place with North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire Councils, and had been very welcoming of the approach so far, and there was an aspiration to generate more of a relationship with them to explore any shared service opportunities in haulage contracts, recycling, composting etc.

·       Concerns were raised around potential costs to district councils, for example the food waste trial by SKDC was being stepped down due to the costs involved going forward and the costs to scale up from the current trial including purchase of new vehicles.  There would be a need for additional funding from government in order to continue this separate collection.  In the consultation, there was an indication that new burden funding would be made available.  It was acknowledged that it was not known how much this funding would be, but it was believed that it would be based on modelling rather than actual costs, and if there was a shortfall in funding it would be difficult for all authorities.

·       The financial impact of green waste collections being provided as a free service to households was estimated to be around £800,000 to district councils, and the issue of how this would be funded had not yet been addressed.  It was highlighted that the requirement to collect garden waste would not necessarily be seen as a new burden, so it might prove difficult to request funding for those households where green waste was already being collected.

·       It was commented that if districts planned to purchase new freighters to collect food waste, there would be a lead in time of 10 – 11 months, and if all collection authorities purchased at the same time, this would mean that lead in times were likely to be extended.

·       It was very difficult for authorities to be able to start any preparations around what may be required as there was still a lot of uncertainty, particularly around funding.

·       It was suggested that haulage was one area where a partnership approach could be taken, particularly as there was likely to be increased demand for vehicles, as costs would increase if demand exceeded supply, which would then have an impact on the revenue position of district councils.

·       In relation to capacity for anaerobic digestion (AD) modelling suggested there would be a need across the county of 20,000 – 30,000 tonnes, however, the authority did not want to be dependent on a single facility.  It was noted that interest was being received from a number of potential operators.

·       It was noted that the County Council was in contact with neighbouring WDA’s, and the districts were encouraged to engage with other waste collection authorities (WCA’s) as there were still a lot of lessons to be learned.

RESOLVED

          That the comments made be noted.