Agenda item

To receive a report from the Head of People, Performance and Waste and the Operations Manager for Street Scene and Open Spaces reviewing the progress made to date by Bin-It 123 and consider the key elements of the next strategic phase that are necessary to maximise recycling rates as well as increase resident engagement and support.

Cabinet had before it a report * from the Head of People, Performance & Waste and Operations Manager Street Scene and Open Spacesreviewing the progress made to date by Bin-It 123 and which considered the key elements of the next strategic phase that were necessary to maximise recycling rates as well as increase resident engagement and support.

RESOLVED that:

Following discussion at the Service Delivery and Continuous Improvement PDG on the 15 September 2025, Cabinet were asked to consider:

1. The strategy regarding the direction of travel for increasing resident awareness and participation with the Bin-It 123 schemes. This was APPROVED.

2. A request for an evidence-based paper from Officers on the impact of the potential additional recycling collections, including pilots of these collections, for review before consideration was given. This request was APPROVED.

Note: *Report previously circulated

Cabinet had before it a report * from the Head of People, Performance & Waste and Operations Manager Street Scene and Open Spacesreviewing the progress made to date by Bin-It 123 and which considered the key elements of the next strategic phase that were necessary to maximise recycling rates as well as increase resident engagement and support.

The Cabinet Member for Service Delivery and Continuous Improvement outlined the contents of the report with particular reference to the following: 

• Following the meeting of Cabinet in August 2025, where future collections of unused metal pots and pans were recommended for collection (and which were now in place), the report sets out the Councils current situation regarding Bin It 123 and the future plans regarding potential additional recycling streams to be introduced and added to the current portfolio.
• The particular focus was the strategy to help reinvigorate Bin-It 123 to help households nudge more of their residual waste into their recycling. A 7.3 kg shift in this direction per household per annum raised the Councils recycling rate by 1% and gave the Council considerable extra funding. Greater tailored communication which would encourage households to consider the contribution that could be made to the scheme, more robust enforcement complimented by effective education and meaningful engagement were all key components of the strategy.
• The service had also set out some of the future recycling collections the Council could consider implementing, including disposable nappies and the collection of soft plastics, which was a mandatory collection to be introduced no later than 1 April 2027.
• An evidence-based report would be brought back to provide further information on the practical implications of these additional streams for consideration. This would include pilots of the additional streams, and it was proposed to take the results of these through the Service Delivery and Continuous Improvement Policy Development Group (PDG) before it came back to Cabinet.

Discussion took place with regards to:

·       The trail and start date for recycling collections of disposable nappies? It was explained that a depot permit required amendments to allow disposable nappies to be collected in the recycling and the Council were waiting for a planning application before the end of the year in regard to this.

·       Soft plastics could be taken to supermarkets in the district, which was supported by the FlexCollect scheme - was the Council clear with the communications that would encourage residents to do this?

·       Could supermarkets make efficient space to support more recycling of soft plastics?

·       Could an audit be completed in regard to the amount that supermarkets were receiving? It was explained that FlexCollect had completed statistics from the last few years with Local Authorities and there was a link in the report with information and figures that the Council would take into consideration. 

·       The timeline for soft plastics collections at the kerbside. It was explained this was a mandatory requirement as of 1 April 2027, the Council would work with stakeholders and supermarkets.

·       When the Council are in a position to collect soft plastic where would this go? It was explained that there were viable markets that would make it a viable operation and there would be a financial reward to the Council. 

·       At present residents dispose of plastic at the supermarket. When we start collecting soft plastics what are we going to do regarding communications and when will supermarkets know how the council will take it?

·       The Council was in the top 5% in regard to recycling across the country, what were the costing if recycling went to landfill? It was clarified that all materials go to energy for waste and the costing would depend on the guide gate fees but they were considerable.

·       What were the specific dependencies and timeline for the piloting trials next year and would the Council consider communal areas also? It was explained that the progression would be made from the trialling. The three key elements that would be vital to increase the recycling rate were education, enforcing what residents were recycling and tailored communication. The Head of People, Performance and Waste pledged to confirm a timeline for future pilots of recycling streams once planning permission regarding the remodelling of the Carlu depot and relevant permit application had been obtained in relation to EA regs.

·       Whether there were any indications of cost for the future challenges to include emissions from incineration of waste?

·       On the Council’s website there was an A-Z section, which is not easy to navigate could consideration be given to have an intelligent search to make it easy to search in the future, also an idea for the future this could have an Artificial intelligence (AI) agent that provides responses?

RESOLVED that:

Following discussion at the Service Delivery and Continuous Improvement PDG on the 15 September 2025, Cabinet were asked to consider:

1. The strategy regarding the direction of travel for increasing resident awareness and participation with the Bin-It 123 schemes. This was APPROVED.

2. A request for an evidence-based paper from Officers on the impact of the potential additional recycling collections, including pilots of these collections, for review before consideration was given. This request was APPROVED.

(Proposed by Cllr J Wright and seconded by Cllr S Keable)

Reason for Decision:

It should be noted that an increase in recycling tonnages for each material would increase the recycling credits for that material. This increase also has an effect on the income received from each product at this current time. At present this was difficult to determine due to the constant variations in market values.

Note: *Report previously circulated