Questions Submitted Under Council Procedure Rule 10
By Councillor Mrs Temperton to Councillor Mrs Hayes MBE, Executive Member for the Environment:
New government plans to cut down on landfill waste proposed by the Environment Secretary, Michael Gove, include a commitment to weekly food waste collections from every home. Many Councils already do this.
When will Bracknell Forest have such a collection and how will it be funded? There is no funding for such included in the proposed 2019/20 budget.
Minutes:
Councillor Mrs Temperton asked Councillor Mrs Hayes MBE, Executive Member for the Environment the following published question:
New government plans to cut down on landfill waste proposed by the Environment Secretary, Michael Gove, include a commitment to weekly food waste collections from every home. Many Councils already do this.
When will Bracknell Forest have such a collection and how will it be funded? There is no funding for such included in the proposed 2019/20 budget.
Councillor Mrs Hayes MBE responded that the Executive had agreed to an 8 year extension of the waste collection contract with Suez commenting from 1 April 2019. The Executive had also supported the purchase of a new fleet of waste collection trucks which could facilitate food collection in the future. The Executive also agreed that officers should review options in regard to food collection in partnership with re3 to support the Government strategy.
Councillor Mrs Hayes stated that the Council would continue to work with contractors and residents to find affordable and sustainable ways to collect waste. It was noted that in the UK, of the 7m tonnes of food being disposed of annually, 5m tonnes was still fit for consumption. Councillor Mrs Hayes welcomed the Government Strategy to address this issue.
The cost of collection and the savings relative to the cost of landfill were both key areas of consideration. Participation rates and tonnages needed to be calculated in order to establish affordability of such food collection schemes.
Councillor Mrs Hayes thanked residents who produced little waste or had engaged in home composting, however it was stressed that there were many residents who could do more to recycle and use food up.
Collections in high population density estates and flats needed to be resolved before residents were encouraged to put their food out for collection.
In summary, Councillor Mrs Hayes stated that re3 partners across Bracknell Forest, Reading and Wokingham Councils would be considering and responding to the Government’s consultation document. Once the implications of a food waste collection service were established to ensure a good and inclusive food collection service, budget provision would be sought in Bracknell Forest.