Agenda item
Report of the Head of Environment and Public Realm - Waste Collection - Proposed New Charges
Minutes:
The
Head of Environment and Public Realm presented a report on Waste
Collection – Proposed New Charges.
The Committee noted that in 2013 the Council entered into a
partnership with Ashford and Swale Borough Councils and Kent County
Council to let a 10 year waste collection contract, which was
awarded to Biffa Municipal Ltd. Every
April an annual review was carried out to identify contract growth,
which included changes in household numbers, garden waste
subscriptions, bulky and clinical waste collections as well as a
calculation of the annual indexation.
The annual indexation is calculated through a complex equation
which included average weekly earnings index, CPI and DERV
(Diesel).
It was noted that over the past three years the annual indexation applied had been + 0.383%, - 1.184% and – 2.012% respectively and the number of properties increased by 2,500. For 2017/18 the indexation is +5.577% and when combined with property growth, will equate to an additional cost of £180,000 compared with the previous year.
The Head of Environment and Public Realm advised that in order to close the gap between the original budget estimate and the uplifted contract costs, the current fees and charges had been reviewed.
In response to questions from Members, the Head of Environment and Public Realm advised that:-
·
Should the fee for the collection of 1 white good be
£10 then the Council would be making a loss as the cost
charged by Biffa was £15.50 which would equate to a
£6,000 deficit per annum.
·
That the provision of bins for residents on a new
development was paid for by the developers. However, those residents moving into an existing
property where the bins had been taken would have to pay for new
bins.
·
The Council does have a statutory duty to collect
clinical waste but could make a charge.
·
The Council does not provide the sharps bins, these
are obtained by users from their doctor’s
surgeries. It was noted that the
majority of residents already stockpiled them in readiness for a
collection which was invariably twice a year.
·
A comparison was made with some Kent Authorities and
whilst it was not known if flytipping
had increased as a result of those charges, this could be explored
further.
·
The Council would be running a ‘know where
your waste goes’ campaign as part of the Litter
Strategy.
·
The flytipping
statistics would continue to be monitored and in particular
fridges/freezers would be noted if part of any flytipping to be reported back to the
Committee.
Councillor Perry arrived at 7.15 p.m. during the discussion of this item.
RESOLVED:
1. That a
new charge of £20 for the collection of a hazardous
white
goods
item (Fridge or Freezer), as part of the Bulky Waste
Collection Service be introduced.
Voting: For: Unanimous
2.
That the Subsided Bulky Charge be changed to offer those in receipt
of Council Tax Reduction Benefit either one hazardous white goods
item (Fridge/Freezer) or one 1-4 item collection per year.
Voting: For: 5
Against: 0 Abstentions:
4
3.
That the annual provision of black sacks to properties not
suitable
for
wheeled bins be withdrawn.
Voting: For: Unanimous
4. That a
limit of two free collections per year be introduced for
the
collection of Clinical Waste Sharps Boxes and a charge of £5
be
made for
additional requests.
Voting: For: 8 Against: 1
Abstentions: 0
5.
That a register of interest for a seasonal weekly garden
waste
service as a supplement to the existing fortnightly collections
be
carried out to determine its viability.
Voting: For: Unanimous
Supporting documents:
- Waste Collection - Proposed New Charges, item 36. PDF 83 KB View as HTML (36./1) 119 KB
- Appendix A - Equality Impact Assessment, item 36. PDF 32 KB View as HTML (36./2) 15 KB