Agenda item

The Committee will receive a presentation from the Head of Streetcare on the Waste Management Partnerships.

The Committee received a presentation on the Waste Management Partnerships within Havering.  These included Biffa the waste collection contractor, East London Waste Authority (ELWA) - the disposal company and Shanks East London - the disposal contractor.

Officers explained that Biffa provided the following services:

·        Household waste (black sacks)

·        Kerbside recycling (orange sacks)

·        Garden waste (green bins and sacks)

·        Trade Waste

·        Clinical Waste

·        Bulky Waste

The Committee were informed that ELWA had been established as a Statutory Waste Disposal Authority in 1986 and they managed approximately 500,000 tonnes of waste per year from the four London Boroughs in East London (Havering, Barking and Dagenham, Redbridge and Newham).  In 2002 ELWA awarded a 25 year PFI contract to Shanks.  The Integrated Waste Management Strategy set out measures to improve recycling and composting rates and to divert waste from landfill. This was the main goal for Havering.

Officers explained that in 2006 Cabinet agreed Havering’s Waste Strategy, This linked with ELWA’s headline strategy which would be in operation until 2020.  The key targets in both strategies included:

• Giving priority to achieving statutory recycling and composting standards; 27% by 2007/08

• Recycling or composting jointly 25% of waste in the period 2005/6 – 2009/10, 30% in the period 2010/11 – 2014/15 and 33% from 2015/16 onwards.

• Working with ELWA to divert from landfill 40% of waste in the period 2007/08 – 2009/10, 45% in the period 2010/11 to 2014/15 and 67% thereafter.

The actual achievements of these targets included:

• 35% of waste was recycled or composted.
• Reduction of household waste by 11,000 tonnes since 2006/07.
• ELWA diverted 52.3% of municipal waste from landfill in 2010/11.

The Committee noted that the achievements exceeded the targets within the strategies and that Havering’s figures were the highest of the four ELWA boroughs.  Officers explained how recycling had been increased through the introduction a wheeled bin garden waster collection and composting service, the separation of orange and black sack collections, improvements at Recycling and Reuse Centres (RRCs) together with other initiatives.  Members agreed that the Orange bag scheme was simple for householders to use, as all recycling materials went into one receptacle, and they were easier to store than large bins.  Members asked about the take up of the Green Bins.  Officers responded that the charge for the bins covered the running of the services and any promotions. They currently had 18,000 customers and were still growing by 1,000 a year, this would equate to approximately a fifth of the borough.

Waste minimisation campaigns had also been run to reduce the amount of waste produced, in the form of Love Food Hate Waste workshops, roadshows, leaflets, publications and Home Composting.  Members asked if there were Water Butts available through any of the schemes, given the recent hosepipe ban, and if provisions had been made for temporary recycling schemes to be installed at the caravan and camping sites during the Olympics.  Officers would update the Committee at the next meeting on both issues.

The Committee were informed that the controls at the RRCs restricted controlled waste (builder’s rubble) and use by non-ELWA residents, as a result use of the Jenkins Lane RRC had dropped by 30% once the controls had been introduced.

Future challenges were explained to the Committee. This would include new legislation, new strategies, targets and pressures.  These would take the form of the revised Waste Framework Directive which had an increased focus on reuse and recycling and on the quality of recycled materials (compost).  It was hoped that the new Anaerobic Digestion plant would contribute to this at the Shanks site in Frog Island. The Mayors Municipal Waste Strategy 2011, included the following targets and pressures:

• Achieve zero municipal waste direct to landfill by 2025
• Increase London’s capacity to reuse or repair from 6,000 tonnes/year to 30,000 by 2031
• Recycle or compost at least 60% by 2031
• Cut greenhouse emissions by one million tonnes by 2031
• Generate as much energy as possible from organic and non-recyclable waste

The Waste Strategy for England 2007 also had a number of targets and pressures, which would have to be taken into consideration.  The total cost of disposing of household waste will cost Havering just under £11 million in 2012/13.

As a result it would be necessary to review the Havering Waste Strategy and how Havering works with its partners to take account of proposed legislation, targets and strategies.  The Committee requested that a draft be brought to a future meeting.