Agenda item

The Committee will be advised of the new contract arrangements for Household Recycling Centres across the county.

Contributors:

Cllr Peter Strachan, Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Environment

Martin Dickman, Service Director Neighbourhood Services

Gurbaksh Badhan, Head of Strategic Waste Management and Enforcement

The Chairman welcomed the Cabinet Member for Environment & Climate Change and invited him to introduce the item. The new HRC contract arrangements had been agreed by Cabinet in December 2021 and the Cabinet Member outlined key points of the contract which included:-

·       FCC Waste Service Ltd had been awarded the contract from 1 April 2022. This contract would deliver a very similar service to the one currently in place and the existing hours would remain.

·       It was a five-year contract with an option to extend a further five years at mutual agreement. The Net Present Cost (NPC) over five years was £15m and the potential NPC over ten years was £28.5m

·       The existing HRC sites had over one million visits spread across nine sites and over 60,000 tonnes of waste was collected annually.

·       The contract aimed to reuse, recycle or compost 68% of all waste received and aspired to stretch this to 73%.

·       Consideration was being given to a new site in Buckingham as the current site could not be extended to meet demand.

·       FCC would produce a Community Stakeholder Liaison Plan to be agreed by the Council by 31 May 2022.

The following points were made during the Committee’s discussion:-

·       The targets for reuse, recycle or compost reflected Government legislation and the council’s current rate was 67%. Extending the target to 73% would require MTFP investment to move further materials from residual waste into recycling streams (e.g. polystyrene).

·       Around 18% went to the Energy from Waste Site, Greatmoor, which generated residential electricity.

·       There would be financial implications if the operating hours at sites changed, and the contract took into account potential changes at Buckingham. It was too premature to provide dates for changes in the north of Buckinghamshire however updates would be communicated to the Council.

·       The contract bidding process did have an environmental weighting and the bidders were subject to a carbon assessment metric. Any changes in outlets between the bid submission and the contract commencement were now being considered. Outlets had the potential to shift during the life of the contract which would require re-assessment and adaption; the new contract allowed for this. A public version of this document would be available in future.

·       It was noted by Members that FCC was currently providing a good service particularly during the pandemic where services had been available to residents as normal. 

·       Chesham’s HRC was unable to recycle tins and plastic which was due to legacy district council arrangements. Buckinghamshire Council was harmonizing its arrangements to deliver the same service at each HRC site so that there was no gap in recycling provision. The Cabinet Member hoped this would be delivered over the coming months.

·       The Cabinet Member acknowledged that clear, simple communication with residents on recycling was important.

·       Income generated from the reuse shops was a model commonly used by other local authorities. The Council provided the items for reuse and received 25% of the income. The shop in High Heavens was no longer fit for purpose and required replacement with the cost split between FCC and the Council.

·       The Bledlow HRC site was progressing through the council’s decision-making process.

·       Cross-boundary arrangements on household recycling existed between Buckinghamshire, Slough and Milton Keynes. Income received from Slough Borough Council was reinvested into Burnham and Langley. The Cabinet Member was open-minded about potential future arrangements, including one Member’s example of a monthly ‘amnesty day’ in Hertfordshire, however costs would need to be considered.

·       Containers could be refurbished for 25% of the cost of a new container and could be maintained thereafter for up to eight years. Their condition would be monitored during the contract.

The Chairman thanked the Cabinet Member for outlining the new HRC contract and commended the work of the officers.