Agenda item

The Committee considered the draft report.  Members were pleased with the structure of the report.  It was felt it was shorter and more succinct than previous reports.

The Committee considered the report and made some adjustments to the wording of the report for ease of read. It was felt that the graph depicting recycling rate (2004-2011), figure 1 on page 4 of the report should be changed to show a percentage figure on the y axes.

On page 5 of the document the Committee discussed the paragraph on glass recycling.  It was decided that further clarification was needed on the recycling of glass as part of the new waste contract.  It was felt that a recommendation should be added to ensure that there was continued engagement with residents on changes to recycling.

On page 6 of the report, under the ‘Freighter Service and Bulky Collection’ section, Members considered householder’s difficulties in recycling large garden waste.  It was felt that the Freighter Service was utilised by those who could not access Household Recycling Centres.  The Freighter Service did not collect garden waste and the fortnightly garden waste collection service offered by the Council did not provide a facility for this either.  It was felt that this finding should be highlighted in the report.  A Member who had spoken to residents about the Freighter Service felt it should also be noted in the report that a good number of users were aware and made use of charitable collections for white goods and furniture.

It was decided that two further recommendations should be added to the report to strengthen statements made within the report.  The Committee agreed that the first should be added under the recommendations made regarding Waste Reduction and the second was to highlight the importance of recycling Plastics as the report stressed the viewpoint that Plastics were ‘an untapped raw material’ to Councils.

It was resolved that:

a)  The following recommendations should be added to the report:

• That residents’ are kept informed about the progress of recycling developments in the borough during the lifetime of the waste contract

• That flexible and cost effective options in relation to the use of new technologies and changes to collectables should be included in the terms of the new waste contract. It should also include a proactive clause for partners to explore opportunities in the market.

• That during the course of the 10 year waste contract Maidstone Borough Council takes a lead role in developing a partnership with other Kent authorities to achieve best value for money in the collection and selling of plastics

b)  That the wording in the section ‘Freighter Collection and Bulky Collection’ should be amended to reflect the discussion that took place;

c)  The graph shown at Figure 1 in the report should be altered to show a percentage figure on the y axes;

d)  All changes to the wording of the report, as discussed, should be made by the Scrutiny Officer;

e)  The Chairman should meet with the Scrutiny Officer to agree the changes to the report;

f)  The report should be circulated to Members via email for final approval; and

g)  Following the agreed amendments being made to the report, the Committee approves the report for submission to the appropriate Cabinet Member and external bodies.