Agenda item

(a)       That the Committee supports the review undertaken and endorses the proposed amendments to the Vehicle Permit Policy for Household Recycling Centres with the addition on the amendment proposed above on signed vehicles and trade waste;

(b)       That the Committee supports and endorses the inclusion of tyres as an additional waste stream in the HRC booking system to ensure waste minimisation and control; and

(c)        That the Committee supports and endorses the additional proposals to improve HRC operational controls and services.

The Chief Officer (Streetscene & Transportation) introduced the report.  She provided background information and advised that the report provided an overview of the impact of the revised policy along with details of the review undertaken and proposals for amending the policy. Further considerations were

presented on the broader operations for Household Recycling Centres (HRCs) with a view to introducing further service improvements and efficiencies. 

            The Regulatory Services Manager presented the report and gave an overview of the main considerations concerning the implementation of the vehicle permit policy as detailed in the report.  The Regulatory Services Manager referred to two all Member workshops which were held during September 2022 to undertake a review of the policy so that Members could provide officers with   constituents’ feedback or concerns.  The review was extended to include the wider HRC site operations with a view to introducing further service improvements and efficiencies and maximising the opportunities for recycling. Details of the content of the workshops were appended to the report.

The Regulatory Services Manager advised that following evaluation of the feedback provided from the workshops a number of proposals were presented for consideration.  Members’ comments, the associated considerations to be reviewed and, following appraisal of the advantages and disadvantages of those considerations, a proposed outcome for each comment, were detailed in Appendix 3 of the report. The proposed outcomes had been written into a revised policy document for consideration. The amendments and new clauses for inclusion in the policy were highlighted in Appendix 4.

The Regulatory Services Manager also reported on further service improvements and efficiencies at HRCs and referred to proposals concerning the booking service, charges for disposal of waste (Trade/Charity), alternative opening hours, and charging for soil conditioner.

Councillor Roy Wakelam referred to page 55, Appendix 4 of the report, and asked if the bullet point ‘mobility vehicle’ could be amended to read ‘any mobility vehicle’.  The Regulatory Services Manager explained that clarification could be provided around the height and length restriction of the vehicle in the policy. 

Councillor Mike Peers expressed concerns around the reason for refusing vehicles with sign writing with specifically associated trade waste and said the policy did not include anything not associated with trade waste.  He asked that consideration be given for an exemption for residents with sign written vehicles not associated with business, not producing trade waste, and where the vehicle was assigned to a residential property which was subject to council tax.  He asked that the policy be amended to reflect those circumstances or deferred to enable the Streetscene service to develop an exemption. 

Councillor Peers proposed that the policy be amended to allow residents who had a sign written  vehicle and were not associated with a building trade and were promoting their business for the benefit of the community, but not producing trade waste, be allowed a permit which he said had previously been granted.  Councillor Peers said he felt there should be a “two tier system” and the current “catch all” situation could be rectified by information provided at the permit application stage, which would enable residents the right to dispose of household waste.  In response to the comments made by Councillor Peers the Chief Officer explained that it is a challenging area to control and police, as a lot of commercial waste is inherently similar to household waste and therefore difficult to distinguish from legitimate waste produced from domestic properties, but it is more likely to be delivered or deposited by a trade vehicle. The Chief Officer spoke of the potential for more applications for permits which would impact on waste and recycling rates. 

Councillor Peers proposed that the Policy be amended as follows: where the Policy states that sign written vehicles would not be permitted, this should relate to trade vehicles associated with trade waste and on Section 2 - checking of the vehicles under vehicles permitted, a sign written vehicle will be permitted provided it is registered to a residential address in Flintshire for council tax, is not a trade associated with any trade waste, does not generate any trade or business waste, and the only waste presented is domestic waste.  Councillor Peers suggested that this could be part of the application process and checked, and the vehicle could be checked and monitored by the operator at it enters the HRC site. 

Councillor Richard Lloyd seconded the proposal put forward by Councillor Peers.  Councillor Lloyd spoke in support of a charging system to enable residents to pay for bulky items to the taken to HRCs for disposal if unable to transport items themselves. 

The Chief Officer responded to the comments and questions raised by Members.

            The recommendations as set out in the report, were moved and seconded by Councillors Dan Rose and Mike Peers

RESOLVED:

(a)       That the Committee supports the review undertaken and endorses the proposed amendments to the Vehicle Permit Policy for Household Recycling Centres with the addition on the amendment proposed above on signed vehicles and trade waste;

(b)       That the Committee supports and endorses the inclusion of tyres as an additional waste stream in the HRC booking system to ensure waste minimisation and control; and

(c)        That the Committee supports and endorses the additional proposals to improve HRC operational controls and services.