1. What are the main aims purpose and outcomes of the Policy and how do these fit with the wider aims of the organization?

The proposed withdrawal of the garden waste sack service is intended to reduce the health and safety risk and the cost of the garden waste service.  This is a service provided to just 30 properties in the past 12 months and there is a disproportionate cost for providing this service to less than 0.1% of garden waste customers. 

The collection of garden waste in sacks is widely recognised as unacceptable due to the manual handling risks and the HSE require the Council to find other solutions to sack collections wherever possible. 

2. How do these aims affect our duty to:

·           Eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimization and other conduct prohibited by the act.

·           Advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not.

·           Foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not.

The proposed changes will not disproportionately affect people who share a protected characteristic compared with those who do not.  The policy will affect 30 households who currently subscribe to the sack service.  However, it has been identified that a number of these properties could accommodate a wheeled bin and therefore the actual number of households affected is likely to be less than 20 households out of 32,000 households who subscribe to the garden waste service.

The criteria for those who use the service is linked to the location and layout of the property and has no link with characteristics of the householders.

Therefore, the proposal will not have any impact on the Council’s duty regarding equality.

3. What aspects of the policy including how it is delivered or accessed could contribute to inequality?

As the proposal is to withdraw a small part of the garden waste service there is a risk that the properties previously using garden sacks will no longer be able to use the service.  This could be considered an inequality of service.  However it is possible that these properties will be able to find a way of using the garden bin service such as making room in their garden, storing bins in an alternative location such as in a garage or sharing bins with neighbours.  Alternatively there are other ways of recycling garden waste from these properties including home composting which offers the best environmental option for the waste.

4. Will the policy have an impact (positive or negative) upon the lives of people, including particular communities and groups who have protected characteristics ? What evidence do you have for this?

The proposed service change will not directly impact the lives of particular communities or groups who have protected characteristics; however it is possible that up to 20 households will have difficulty using the garden waste service.  Wherever possible the waste services team will work with these householders to identify options for them to present their garden waste in wheeled bins at a suitable location.