To consider the following Motions referred by the Council to the Policy Development Group.
Motion 528 (Councillor P J Heal - 10 August 2016)
That the council investigates the provision of an elasticated net system for use on recycling boxes to prevent light materials such as plastics and cardboard being blown out and causing litter.
Motion 529 (Councillor Mrs C A Collis - 17 August 2016)
That the Council investigates joint working with other Councils to recycle soft plastics such as polythene and film and to avoid putting these non- biodegradable items into landfill. This will benefit the environment for future generations and expand on the recycling that Mid Devon is already doing so well.
Minutes:
The Group gave consideration to the following Motions that had been referred by Council.
Motion 528 (Councillor P J Heal - 10 August 2016)
That the council investigates the provision of an elasticated net system for use on recycling boxes to prevent light materials such as plastics and cardboard being blown out and causing litter.
The Chairman read the following statement from Cllr P J Heal:
It is with regret that I will be unable to attend the PDG meeting today due to work commitments. When I put the motion forward for consideration it was because I had been approached by a number of residents of both my ward and my home village who were concerned that because of the amount of lightweight plastics that were now being put out for recycling there was a problem with them being blown around causing litter.
I appreciate that the boxes as supplied do come with lids but from personal experience the lids do not fit well, and in my case have been damaged because they are often just thrown down on the floor on collection days, also if a box is over full they will not fit.
I appreciate that residents can always have an extra box but often that causes problems with storage in the house or flat. I have conducted a straw poll amongst residents when attending parish council meetings and there is overwhelming support for a net system rather than lids and most people seem to be happy to purchase nets to prevent the problem of plastic being blown out of boxes and causing litter in the countryside of products that do not decompose and will remain for years to come and could cause injury to animals.
I have read the officers report and do appreciate the problems of cost but don’t really see why the nets should slow up the collection.
It may it be worth considering a trial of nets in a rural area to try and prevent the litter problem that will become worse as we approach winter and wind speeds increase.
Consideration was given to:
· Boxes could be stacked to prevent items blowing out and lids could be kept in place by use of a heavy weight, such as a brick;
· Difficulties for staff when handling the nets with gloves on and the extra time that this could create on the rounds;
· Issues regarding the ongoing replacement of lost or damaged nets;
· There was no restriction to the number of boxes that households could use and replacement lids could be requested.
It was RESOLVED that Motion 528 not be supported.
(Proposed by the Chairman)
Motion 529 (Councillor Mrs C A Collis - 17 August 2016)
That the Council investigates joint working with other Councils to recycle soft plastics such as polythene and film and to avoid putting these non- biodegradable items into landfill. This will benefit the environment for future generations and expand on the recycling that Mid Devon is already doing so well.
Cllr Mrs Collis explained that her concerns that light weight plastics were being sent to landfill had led her to suggest that they were sent to Exeter for recycling.
The Waste and Transport Manager explained that the authority already worked with all Devon authorities for the joint selling of paper, glass and textiles and also worked with Exeter City Council for the joint selling of cardboard and mixed plastic.
There were well established markets for the materials that were currently recycled which ensured that a good income rate was secured and the moving of products was timely. The selling of polythene and film was often problematic and could reduce the value of the material that was already collected when mixed in.
The officer further explained that if all of the materials that were currently collected for recycling and composting in the new scheme were placed in the correct container the Council could have a recycling rate of over 85%. He suggested that it was perhaps more important that the Council concentrated on ensuring the existing materials were recycled rather than adding more materials which due to their low weight were unlikely to effect the recycling rate dramatically.
Consideration was given to:
· Waste currently landfilled would be sent to the Exeter Energy from Waste Plant from April 2017;
· A reduction in income if lower grade plastics were mixed with currently collected plastics;
· The need to lobby government to reduce packaging.
It was RESOLVED that Motion 529 not be supported.
(Proposed by Cllr J L Smith seconded by Cllr D R Coren)