Agenda item

To receive a report providing an update on the progress made by the RE3 public finance initiative since the last meeting of the Joint waste Disposal Board on 13 December 2012.

The Board received a report providing an update on progress made since its last meeting on 13 December 2012.  The report included updates on financial matters, an outline of proposals for the future of the retail outlet, the possible development of a bike recycling scheme and performance monitoring information.

It was reported that the agreement with Sue Ryder which enabled unwanted items to be retrieved from the re3 recycling centres and resold via Sue Ryder’s charity shops had now reached the end of the agreed two year term of the contract.  It was noted that over the length of the agreement the arrangement had worked well and approximately £50,000 had been generated for the charity.  The following three potential options for the future direction of the service were discussed by the Board:

• Continue the contract with Sue Ryder on the same terms
• Continue the contract with Sue Ryder but renegotiate the terms so that the re3 authorities enjoy a share of any profits
• Allow the contractor to sell goods through retail outlets in Buckinghamshire with the re3 authorities enjoying a share of any profits

The Board felt that whilst £50,000 appeared to be a significant amount of money the return relative to the benefits far outweighed the cash value once split between the re3 authorities and the amount each authority received would be minimal.  It was agreed that Sue Ryder would be approached to continue with the contract.  It was requested that Sue Ryder be asked to provide an update on the project at the Board’s next meeting.

The Board discussed the national Sustrans and ‘Bike-it’ projects to promote cycling and a proposal to extend and develop the scheme into the re3 authority areas.  It was proposed that unwanted bikes would be retrieved from the household waste recycling centres, repaired and made roadworthy by local bike shops and then sold to residents at a significantly reduced price.  The Board acknowledged the potential benefits of the scheme and agreed that the project should be progressed asked officers to prepare a report on the practicalities for the Board’s next meeting. 

It was felt that work needed to be done to make people aware of how goods were recycled through the Sue Ryder Charity Scheme.  It was agreed that a suggestion to have a specific well signed area set aside for people to leave bikes and other unwanted good for these recycling initiatives at the Household Waste Recycling Centres would be followed up by officers and fed back as part of the report to the next meeting.

RESOLVED that:

i                       The contract to retrieve and sell on unwanted goods with Sue Ryder be renewed for another two years under the same terms and conditions

ii                     Officers to discuss with WRG how best to advertise/promote the Sue Ryder recycling initiative at both the Longshot Lane and Smallmead Household Waste Recycling Centres

iii                    Officers to talk with WRG and Sue Ryder to ascertain how collections might be made more overt

iv                   Progress reports on how to develop the Sue Ryder Recycling Initiative and the Sustrans ‘Bike-it’ Cycling Initiative be brought to the next meeting