Issue - meetings

As detailed in the recommendations, with an additional recommendation shown as (c) below:

(c)        That a further report be brought back to Cabinet on dedicated additional enforcement officers to deal with side waste and fly tipping.

Councillor Banks introduced the report and explained that due to the Covid-19 pandemic, side waste enforcement was suspended in March 2020 and, since that time, an increase of over 3,000 additional tonnes of residual waste had been collected from residential properties, which equated to a 12% increase in comparison to the year before the pandemic.

            In addition to an increase in side waste presentation, there had been an increase in household residual waste being presented at communal waste collection points, in alley ways and on open green spaces which had given rise to increased concern around fly tipping and littering.  In order to encourage residents to continue to recycle, it was proposed that side waste restrictions needed to be reinstated and enforcement reintroduced on kerbside collections.

            The report set out the Council’s approach to reintroducing side waste enforcement from 1^st September 2021 and how it was proposed to deal with the increase in environmental crimes in an attempt to reduce the antisocial behaviour and improve the Local Environmental Quality (LEQ).

            The Regulatory Service Manager explained that prior to any reintroduction of side waste enforcement, a Countywide campaign would be undertaken to ensure that all residents were aware of the change.  She confirmed that it was not enhanced enforcement that was being recommended and that the Council wanted to work with residents to offer solutions. Educational campaigns would be undertaken and funding available to undertake those campaigns.

            Councillor Roberts expressed his thanks to all of the communities that had come together during the pandemic to provide a litter picking service in their community.  He proposed an additional recommendation as he felt there may be a need for dedicated enforcement officers to deal with fly tipping.  The additional recommendation was “that a further report be brought back to Cabinet on dedicated additional enforcement officers to deal with side waste and fly tipping”.

RESOLVED:

(a)       That the reintroduction of side waste enforcement on kerbside collections for residual waste from 1^st September 2021 be approved;

(b)       The proposal for further work to take place to explore the options for a designated role to drive and deliver environmental improvement campaigns within local communities be approved;  and

(c)        That a further report be brought back to Cabinet on dedicated additional enforcement officers to deal with side waste and fly tipping.