(1) Motion 542 (Councillor Mrs J Roach – 30 November 2017)
The following motion previously considered by the PDG on 9 January 2018 has been referred back to the Group by Council (in line with Procedure Rule 15.1(e) for further consideration:
That this Council consider the use of recycling trolleys as a pilot project, hopefully in Silverton, as an alternative to assisted collections for those who wish to try out such a system.
Please note: Having considered the above Motion the Policy Development Group are asked to consider whether this Motion should either be supported or rejected. This decision will be referred back to Council on 25 April 2018.
Minutes:
The Group had before it Motion 542 (Councillor Mrs J Roach – 30 November 2017).
The motion, which had previously been considered by the PDG on 9 January 2018, had been referred back to the Group by Council (in line with Procedure Rule 15.1(e) for further consideration:
That this Council consider the use of recycling trolleys as a pilot project, hopefully in Silverton, as an alternative to assisted collections for those who wish to try out such a system.
The Chairman explained to the Group that the Motion had been rejected at the previous meeting, following thorough consideration, but that Council had referred it back. Cllr Roach had put forward various suggestions regarding the Motion at Council and the Chairman had been expecting an amendment to the wording but this was not forthcoming, so Members were asked to consider the Motion as it stood.
Cllr Roach spoke to the Motion explaining that Silverton Parish Council had offered to purchase 10 trolleys for local residents and that the trolleys could be aimed at people that did not yet require an assisted collection but struggled to manage recycling boxes. She also expressed concern at the aging workforce who might struggle to lift boxes. Cllr Roach had checked with the maker of the boxes and found that the boxes came in a variety of sizes. She claimed that recycling performance had gone up in the areas of the UK that had introduced the boxes and that local residents had told her they would be prepared to pay for the boxes.
The Director of Operations explained that the waste infrastructure was different in Scotland and Wales and authorities there had different targets and financial reasons for introducing new schemes. The budget and business plan for Waste Services had already been set for the year and any funding or officer time for a trial would need to be found from an area already agreed. Members would need to decide what the authority should stop doing if they wanted to undertake a trial.
Discussion took place regarding:
· The trollies would not be suitable for all residents, particularly those that lived on hills or with steps;
· The ‘letter box’ aspect of the boxes which allowed them to be filled whilst stacked could save space and reduce lifting and handling;
· Concerns regarding costs;
· The increase to recycling performance in Wales could have been attributed to a change in the collection scheme to three weekly black sack collections, the addition of mixed plastics to the scheme and the trollies. There was no evidence to suggest how much difference the trollies had made;
· The Welsh Government had helped to fund the trollies, their targets had financial penalties if not met and there was a recycling target of 60% so they were in a different situation than English authorities;
· A trial would require a project plan, terms of reference and an agreed method to measure success.
It was RESOLVED that a sample trolley be sourced, before the next meeting, that was suitable for use with the current recycling fleet, in order that Members could have a look and see how it operated. Motion 542 would then be discussed at the next meeting of the Group.
(Proposed by the Chairman)
Note: - i) A proposal by Councillor Mrs N Woollatt was not supported.
ii) Cllr Mrs Woollatt requested that her reason for not supporting the Motion be recorded, being that she believed the Authority should take a wider view before deciding which trolley to use for a trial if it was decided a trial would take place.