Issue - meetings

As detailed in the recommendations.

            Councillor Thomas introduced the Outcome of the Waste Strategy Review Consultation Process report which provided feedback from a consultation exercise and made recommendations on the future recycling and waste service provision in the County.

            The current recycling performance of 69.16% was to be celebrated but without operational and policy change, it was likely that performance would now stabilise and any future improvements in performance would become difficult to achieve. 

Whilst the current waste strategy did not come to an end until 2025, the target set within that was 70% and had already almost been achieved.  It was important that the Council planned for the future, considering what more could be done to increase recycling rates still further. 

            The consultation received 8,770 responses which predominantly took the format of tick box responses to set questions, however 3,036 individual comments were also received.  A summary of the responses to each of the fixed questions was appended to the report.  Additional comments had been collated into the following categories:

• Feedback on the current service provision;
• Confusion regarding what could/could not be recycled;
• Suggestions for a single bin for all recycling;
• Concern of increased fly-tipping with less frequent collections;
• Larger families would struggle with less frequent collections; and
• Paying more Council Tax for less services.

Following the consultation, the recommendations were:

1.    Not to progress with less frequent black bin collection at this time – to be reviewed in 12 months;

2.    Increased enforcement to those not recycling their waste;

3.    Improved education and information;

4.    Absorbent Hygiene Product (AHP) – Nappy Collections;

5.    A full review of waste rounds to be undertaken; and

6.    Cardboard and paper to be collected separately at the kerbside.

Councillor Roberts thanked the public for their help in reaching the current recycling rates; Flintshire was the 3^rd best in Wales, and Wales was 3^rd best in the world.

The Chief Officer (Streetscene and Transportation) said the report had been submitted to Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee where they reviewed the consultation responses in detail, and recommended the proposals outlined above to Cabinet.  They also requested that in the New Year a document be prepared for publishing on the Council’s website to address each of the individual comments made during the consultation.

RESOLVED:

(a)       That the responses to the public consultation exercise on the Council’s Waste Strategy be noted; and

(b)       That the recommendations on the future of the recycling and waste collection service be approved.