Environment, Sustainability and Climate Change Portfolio
Exempt Paragraph 3
Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information)
Decision:
That the Cabinet:
a) approves the introduction of a separate weekly food waste collection service and to transfer the residual waste collection from a weekly to a fortnightly service from 2026 to meet the requirement of the National Resources and Waste Strategy and implement the changes to the collection regime on a phased basis with the initial roll out from April 2026.
b) approves a contract extension with Biffa Municipal for a period of three years from April 2026 with the option to extend for a further two years thereafter.
c) approves a virement for £890k for food waste vehicles and caddies funded from the DEFRA grant award of £848k and the earmarked reserve of £42k.
d) requests that the Head of Corporate Finance include additional revenue funding of up to £150k in the 2025-26 Budget and Council Tax report to support the transitional and project management costs associated with implementing the food waste collection.
e) notes that DEFRA has indicated new burdens funding will be allocated to support the additional revenue costs associated with food waste collection and to support the one-off transitional costs however the amount to be allocated and the basis upon which this will be calculated have yet to be confirmed.
f) requests that the Head of Major Project and Commercial Services arranges for an All Members’ Seminar prior to the introduction of the revised collection arrangements, to enable Councillors to understand the rationale, logistics and roll out programme for the proposed service changes.
Reasons for the Recommendations
The recommendations will ensure compliance with the Environment Act (2021) requirement to introduce a separate weekly food waste collection while ensuring efficient use is made of available resource with the change to a fortnightly residual waste collection.
The recommendations will support the Council’s net zero ambition with a projected 35% reduction in carbon emissions from the collection and disposal of household waste and recycling and a projected 10.4% increase in the Council’s recycling rate.
Minutes:
Exempt Paragraph 3 – Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information)
The Cabinet Member for Environment, Sustainability and Climate Change presented report HPS/045 of the Head of Major Projects and Commercial Services. The report sought approval to analyse options for the waste and recycling service and to introduce the Simpler Recycling Policy mandated by Government determining waste stream to be collected and frequency of collection.
Councillor Ayling presented the Overview and Scrutiny Commission’s comments on the report to the Cabinet following consideration of the matter at its meeting on 25 November 2024, which included recognition that the National Waste Strategy ‘Simpler Recycling’ mandated waste collection authorities to introduce separate weekly food waste collections to all households by April 2026. It was noted that the statutory guidance confirmed that, as part of the transfer to a weekly food waste collection, local authorities should provide a minimum fortnightly collection of residual waste (i.e. no less frequently than every two weeks).
Councillors Irvine and Jones spoke as part of the discussion on the report and the Leader emphasised that the changes to the waste collections was only happening because the National Waste Strategy was requiring Council’s to change their collection approaches.
RESOLVED
That the Cabinet:
a) approves the introduction of a separate weekly food waste collection service and to transfer the residual waste collection from a weekly to a fortnightly service from 2026 to meet the requirement of the National Resources and Waste Strategy and implement the changes to the collection regime on a phased basis with the initial roll out from April 2026.
b) approves a contract extension with Biffa Municipal for a period of three years from April 2026 with the option to extend for a further two years thereafter.
c) approves a virement for £890k for food waste vehicles and caddies funded from the DEFRA grant award of £848k and the earmarked reserve of £42k.
d) requests that the Head of Corporate Finance include additional revenue funding of up to £150k in the 2025-26 Budget and Council Tax report to support the transitional and project management costs associated with implementing the food waste collection.
e) notes that DEFRA has indicated new burdens funding will be allocated to support the additional revenue costs associated with food waste collection and to support the one-off transitional costs however the amount to be allocated and the basis upon which this will be calculated have yet to be confirmed.
f) requests that the Head of Major Project and Commercial Services arranges for an All Members’ Seminar prior to the introduction of the revised collection arrangements, to enable Councillors to understand the rationale, logistics and roll out programme for the proposed service changes.
Reasons for the Recommendations
The recommendations will ensure compliance with the Environment Act (2021) requirement to introduce a separate weekly food waste collection while ensuring efficient use is made of available resource with the change to a fortnightly residual waste collection.
The recommendations will support the Council’s net zero ambition with a projected 35% reduction in carbon emissions from the collection and disposal of household waste and recycling and a projected 10.4% increase in the Council’s recycling rate.
Supporting documents: