Agenda item - Waste and Recycling Scrutiny Panel Final Report

Environment, Sustainability and Climate Change Portfolio

To consider report OSC/325 of the Chair of the Waste and Recycling Scrutiny Panel, which was referred to the meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Commission on 25 November 2024.

RESOLVED

That the Cabinet accepts and notes the recommendations from Waste and Recycling Scrutiny Panel as detailed below within the context of the Waste and Recycling: Changes to Collection Regime and Extension of Waste and Recycling Contract exempt report (HPS/045) and:

a) approves the rename the current Council’s website link to ‘Recycling and Waste’.

b) requests that the Cabinet Member for Environment, Sustainability and Climate Change investigate the Junior Citizen event which covers ‘waste and the environment’ to consider expanding this further to cover ‘recycling and waste’.

c) recognises that, from other authorities’ experience, implementing a separate food waste collection service at flats presents logistical challenges and careful consideration will need to be given to support take up and participation at these properties; and authorise officers to explore the use of different collection methods for flats, including the use of reusable bags and/or “smart clear sacks”.

d) for the majority of households, supports the continued use of a 140ltr residual waste bin and existing exceptions policy as a means of encouraging use of the separate food waste bin and recycling bins.

e) recognises that a rollout of two or more phases may be required to take into account varying requirements of different property types, as well as balancing available resource and the lead-in time for delivery of food waste vehicles and food waste bins.

f) approves that the waste and recycling service engages with residents as part of any changes to the service roll out including agreeing where bins will be sited where different options may exist for their placement.

g) confirms it will investigation of the options, of separate weekly food waste collection and fortnightly residual waste collection, as supported by the Scrutiny Panel, and noting the changes proposed in the National Waste Strategy and the potential for changes to the collection regime to significantly impact upon recycling performance.

h) approves that a clear and consistent communications campaign supports the role out of the separate food waste collection and any subsequent changes in the collection regime. As part of this messaging highlight the waste hierarchy of ‘reduce, reuse and recycle’ whilst ensuring that communications are easy to understand and include the message about the cost, importance of recycling to incentivise and engage residents along with contact details for bulky waste collection and fly tipping; and confirms it will consider utilising the following mediums to promote communications:

· Wrap around signs on vehicles (as per standard approach)

· Standard information bins (“bin hangers” as per standard approach)

· myCrawley

· Crawley Live

· Early promotion in Christmas 2025 collection.

· Council Tax billing in advance in April 2026.

· All social media to feature notification of changes.

Reasons for the Recommendations

To investigate how household waste recycling rates in Crawley could be improved and in particular to ensure the implementation of revised collection arrangements under Simpler Recycling will help to provide a step change in recycling performance across the town.

The Chair of the Waste and Recycling Scrutiny Panel, Councillor Russell, presented report OSC/325. A Notice of Motion at Full Council in October 2023 proposed setting up a Scrutiny Panel to examine and seek to improve Crawley’s household waste recycling rate, taking into account the differing challenges the Borough had in comparison to other areas. A Waste and Recycling Scrutiny Panel was subsequently established in February 2024 to look at how household waste recycling rates in Crawley could be improved. Alongside consideration of options to improve recycling performance, the National Waste and Resources Strategy, Simpler Recycling, was launched in October 2023 and, amongst other proposals, confirmed that waste collection authorities will be obliged to move to a separate weekly food waste collection with effect from April 2026. Within this context, a focus for the Panel was to consider the efficacy and impact of different collection regime options open to the Council in implementing the National Waste Strategy.

The Panel wished to consider how to maximise impact while recognising budget constraints, and the demographic and social economic context which typically influences recycling behaviour and performance. Within this context, the Panel sought to “find ways to understand impediments to recycling in the Borough and also consider ways to inform residents/customers of proposed changes to waste collection and incentivise to maximise levels of recycling”.

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. The key points raised included recognising that recycling within blocks of flats presented a number of challenges and, as a result, any rollout of food waste bins/caddies should be a phased approach based on the style of properties.

It was recognised that clear, strong communications regarding recycling and any proposed changes would be key in order to incentivise and encourage residents to increase recycling and minimise food waste and there were many different communication channels. It was acknowledged that, as with any change, it would take a while to adapt.

The Commission amended recommendation 2.2b) to ‘recycling and waste’ in order to mirror the proposed changes in recommendation 2.2a, in which the website had been re-named ‘Recycling and Waste’, in order to place recycling at the forefront and thus refocus priorities.

Councillor Crow was invited to speak on the item. Matters raised included that the suggestion for a working group, which ended up being the Scrutiny Panel, came from a Notice of Motion he put forward to Full Council to investigate what could be done to address Crawley’s poor recycling rates compare to the rest of the West Sussex authorities. In response to Councillor Crow’s comments it was highlighted that, within sections 6.8 to 6.10, the report showed that Crawley’s recycling rates were certainty comparable, if not better, than other a similar Councils with an urban make up and similar collection regimes.

Councillors Irvine, S Mullins, Rana, C Mullins, Jones and Noyce all spoke as part of the discussion on the report. The Cabinet thanked Councillor Russell and the Panel for their hard work, sensible and well justified recommendations, and they were happy to accept the proposed change raised by the Commission.