Issue - meetings

Garden Waste Collection Service

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Meeting: 30/09/2019 - Cabinet (Item 51)

51 Garden Waste Collection Service PDF 197 KB

Refuse and recycling waste collections are a statutory function which local authorities are required to by law provide. Separate garden waste collections are a discretionary service that Councils can legally charge householders a reasonable fee for. Chargeable garden waste collections have been operated by the legacy Councils since 2012.

The service is popular with 49,681 subscribers for 2019, collecting 14,250 tonnes of garden waste across BCP in 2018/19.

There are several variations in the service across BCP which over time need to be reviewed and aligned to ensure parity.

In December 2018, the Government published a new Waste and Resource Strategy for England and consultations on many aspects of waste management followed in April/May 2019. These consultations included proposals on garden waste bin size, collection frequencies and whether garden waste collections should be provided free of charge by local authorities.

Full alignment of garden waste collection services across BCP must consider the Government’s new waste strategy, outcomes of subsequent consultations and associated legislation (requiring compliance by 2023).

Additional documents:

Decision:

RESOLVED that:-

(a) The alignment of the annual garden waste collection service price across BCP for the 2020 service at £46 per household for one bin is approved;

(b) The pro-rata of the Christchurch service collection fee 2020 at £37.65 per household to reflect the service length from April to December 2020 is approved;

(c) The retention of the current multiple bin options is approved:

i) For Bournemouth residents at a rate of £60.00 for 2 140l bins (280l) and £80 for 3 140l bins (420l);

ii) For Christchurch & Poole residents at the full one bin price (£46 per extra 240l); and

(d) Further modelling and analysis by officers to establish full alignment of garden waste collections services across BCP with consideration to the Government’s new Waste Strategy, outcomes of subsequent consultation and associated legislation.

Voting: Unanimous

Portfolio Holder: Environment and Climate Change

REASONS

1. BCP Council is facing a challenging efficiency agenda to deliver substantial financial savings whilst retaining frontline services that are efficient, reliable and valued by residents.

2. Garden waste is one of the few waste materials that Councils can legally charge householders a reasonable fee for collection. Of the 326 English councils who collect garden waste, 212 (65%) now charge for this collection.

3. Benchmarking comparing 16 of our neighbouring authorities geographically and statistically across the country, found that of the 11 that charge for garden waste collections, bin charges vary from £25 to £60, with an average of £46.62.

4. The alignment of collection prices offers consistency, steps towards parity and future-proofs service delivery across BCP.

5. The Garden Waste Service in Dorset (including Christchurch) historically starts and finishes in April for Dorset residents, which will result in a shorter service year for Christchurch residents in year one from BCP Council. This can be addressed by a pro rata payment for the service in Christchurch for 2020.

6. Retaining the multiple bin price structure in Bournemouth offers some consolation for provision of the smaller bin size for an interim period. A bin replacement programme swapping Bournemouth’s 140l for 240l would incur capital costs of £289,000, plus delivery cost. As a result, it is prudent to maintain the current bin sizes across BCP until the outcomes of the Government’s new waste strategy are better understood.

7. Full alignment of garden waste collections services across BCP should consider the Government’s new waste strategy, outcomes of subsequent consultations (concerning garden waste bin size, collection frequency, service charges) and associated legislation (requiring compliance by 2023).

8. Garden waste collected through the service is diverted from the refuse stream, for composting in Open Windrows producing high quality compost, which is used locally on farmland and sold in garden centres.

9. Residents can still dispose of garden waste for free at Household Waste & Recycling Centres.

10. BCP also encourages home composting and promotes compost bin offers.

Minutes:

The Portfolio Holder for Environment and Climate Change presented a report, a copy of which had been circulated to each Member and a copy of which appears as Appendix 'D' to these Minutes in the Minute Book.

Cabinet were asked to consider the alignment of the garden waste collection service price across BCP for the 2020 service for one bin, the pro rata fee for Christchurch for 2020 and the multiple bin pricing options.

In moving the recommendation the Portfolio Holder for Environment and Climate Change proposed that the rates for the multiple bin options for Bournemouth residents remain the same as the current rates and proposed that the recommendation be amended to £60 for 2 140l bins and £80 for 3 140l bins.

The Vice Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Board on behalf of the Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Board voiced concerns in respect of the pricing inequality and welcomed the adjusted amounts.

A Councillor present at the meeting addressed the Cabinet expressing concern with regards to the inequality in the sizes of the bins with the Bournemouth residents green bins being much smaller than those of the Christchurch and Poole residents.

In relation to this it was clarified that the council could only charge for the collection of the bin and not for the quantity of waste therein.

Another Councillor present at the meeting also expressed concerns with regards to the inequality in size of the bins, but further to this advised that he was supportive of the harmonising of the service.

Cabinet were advised that there would be a significant cost to replacing all the bins, and that the service being provided would be the same as currently provided.