Meeting documents

The Committee will be informed of proposed changes to the Waste Acceptance and Access Policy (WAAP) and Household Waste Recycling Centre operations.

Contributors:

Mr Warren Whyte, Cabinet Member for Planning and Environment

Miss Gurbaksh Badhan, Head of Waste Management

Mr Ade Marques, Waste Commissioning Lead Officer

The Chairman welcomed Mr Warren Whyte, Cabinet Member for Planning and Environment, Miss Gurbaksh Badhan, Head of Waste Management and Mr Ade Marques, Waste Commissioning Lead Officer to the meeting.  The Cabinet Member highlighted three main changes that were being proposed to the Waste Access and Acceptance Policy (WAAP) and the operation of the Household Waste and Recycling Centres (HWRC), which would enable the service to be delivered within the agreed 2016/17 budget. 

i)             A change of name from ‘Household Waste and Recycling Centres’ to ‘Household Recycling Centres’ – a simplification that emphasised recycling and the fact that sites were for householders rather than trade use. 

ii)            In Winter, the opening hours of the sites should be reduced from 9am to 5pm to 9am to 4pm.

iii)           The waste permit system would be digitalised, which would provide householders with immediate e-permits for certain types of waste or larger amounts of waste.  Currently permits were sent out in the post.

In response to questions from Members and during the subsequent discussions the following main points were noted:

·         Questions were raised about Fig. 1 in the report which showed the average daily visits by time of day during Winter.  Members suggested that weekend visits would be higher than weekdays but this was not clearly shown in the bar chart.  It was agreed that the Cabinet Member would revisit the detail of the breakdown of Winter visits, particularly at weekends, prior to making any decision.

ACTION: Cabinet Member for Planning & Environment

·         Concerns were raised that flytipping could increase as a result of changes to the permit system.  The Cabinet Member emphasised that flytipping was not tolerated and the Council had a strong record of prosecuting individuals, who were usually dumping trade waste.  A communications campaign would be put in place to publicise the changes and the e-permit system should be easier for residents.

·         A Member asked what proportion of those successfully prosecuted actually paid their fines or carried out community service, if this was part of their sentence.  It was agreed that this information would be supplied to the Committee following the meeting.

ACTION: Head of Waste Management

·         A small proportion of residents may not have internet access, which would be necessary to apply for an e-permit.  Alternatives such as using computers at a local library or being able to apply via the Contact Centre would be available.

·         Members acknowledged staff at the Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRC) who ran the sites well and the College Road site at Aston Clinton, a more modern facility, was held up as an impressive example.  It was noted that if the new e-permits scheme was introduced, staff at the sites would be asked to take a pragmatic approach if a resident arrived at the site without the necessary e-permit.

·         It was noted that earlier closing times during the Winter could mean that the District Councils who bring waste to the HWRCs would be under pressure to fulfil their waste collection duties. The Head of Waste Management explained that this had been discussed with colleagues at the District Councils and it was not anticipated that the proposed closure at 4pm in Winter would cause any issues.

·         It was noted that changes being proposed now were relatively minor, but a step change might need to be considered in future in order to take into account the proposed housing growth in the County, as well as the reduction in budget available.

·         Small traders who wished to deposit waste could use the trade waste recycling centres at Aston Clinton, Rabans Lane, Beaconsfield, Amersham or High Heavens. These were weigh bridge sites, where traders could ‘pay as you go’ according to the amount of waste being deposited.  These sites offered good value for small firms in comparison with commercial waste services.

The Cabinet Member thanked the Committee for their feedback and confirmed that he would look at the usage of the HWRCs during the Winter in finer details before making a decision on the proposed changes.  The Chairman thanked the Cabinet Member, Head of Waste Management and the Waste Commissioning Lead Officer for attending the meeting.