TO: JOINT WASTE DISPOSAL BOARD
2nd December 2021
PROGRESS
REPORT
Report of the re3
Project Director
1
INTRODUCTION
1.1
The purpose of this report is to brief the re3 Joint Waste Disposal
Board on progress in the delivery of the re3 Joint Waste PFI
Contract.
2
RECOMMENDATION
2.1 That Members note the
contents of this report.
2.2 That Members restate their
commitment to preparing a service development programme, for
kerbside glass collection, once there is clarity over the strategic
status, scale and funding for such a service, as described at 5.15
below.
2.3 That Members approve the
recommendation at 5.35 to extend the rigid plastic trial until June
2022.
2.4 That Members approve the recommendation to
implement the new charging structure, as shown at 5.51.
3 ALTERNATIVE
OPTIONS CONSIDERED
3.1 None for this report.
4 REASONS FOR
RECOMMENDATION
4.1
The purpose of this report is to brief Members in relation to
progress in delivery of the re3 Joint Waste PFI Contract.
5
PROGRESS IN RELATION TO WASTE MANAGEMENT
re3 and Council
Performance Statistics
5.1
The provisional recycling rates for April to October are presented
below, with a comparison with 2020/21 shown in Appendix 1.
|
|
Apr-Jun
|
Jul-Sept
|
Oct
|
YTD
|
|
BFC
|
58.4%
|
56.9%
|
58.3%
|
57.7%
|
|
RBC
|
53.0%
|
51.8%
|
50.6%
|
52.2%
|
|
WBC
|
55.3%
|
57.6%
|
48.5%
|
55.6%
|
5.2
As Members will be aware, recycling rates are usually highest in
the first half of the year and are often slightly higher in quarter
1 than in quarter 2. In Wokingham the recycling rate in quarter 2
was higher. Levels of garden waste in this authority were a
relevant factor. The decline in recycling rate in October is also
linked to garden waste. The suspension of the kerbside service for
much of the month has had a noticeable impact. However the
resumption of this service in November may lead to a recovery later
in the quarter.
5.3
At the Joint Waste Disposal Board meeting in September, Officers
advised that decreases in residual waste capacity had the potential
to lead to increases in MDR contamination, and that a slight
decrease in the levels of target materials had been seen in
Bracknell Forest. The inclusion of the most recent data has
resulted in contamination rates more similar to those of last year,
and we continue to see no increase in contamination in Reading.
Officers will continue to monitor this.
5.4
The recycling rates for the re3 recycling centres are 70.3% for
Longshot Lane and 73.9% at Smallmead. They are shown in Appendix 1,
alongside a comparison from last year.
Environment
Bill
5.5
On 10th November 2021, the Environment Act was passed
into UK law. The process of the Act had been delayed by the
Covid-19 pandemic.
5.6
Members will recall that during the Spring of 2021, consultation
responses were prepared by the re3 Project Team and submitted by
the re3 partnership, on the subjects a deposit return scheme (DRS)
and extended producer responsibility (EPR). A further response was
drafted for the respective councils on consistency in waste
collection.
5.7
The outcome of the three consultations are expected, most likely,
in early 2022. Thereafter, secondary legislation will be passed
which provides the specific details and obligations, in each
area.
Kerbside
Glass Recycling
5.8
At the re3 Board meeting on 23rd January 2020, Members
undertook to consider kerbside glass collection following the
important roll-out of new kerbside waste collections, for
recyclables and food, that were planned for Bracknell Forest and
Reading (earlier changes having been made in Wokingham).
5.9
Those service introductions were, as with the progress of the
Environment Bill, delayed for a short period of time due to the
Colvid-19 pandemic. They have been successful in many regards and
the appropriate focus of resources has undoubtedly been a factor.
They are now nearing completion.
5.10
There remain many important aspects of the likely local authority
obligations, from the Environment Act, that are still unclear.
5.11
As an example, it is not obviously apparent, from the impact
assessments appended to the Government consultations, earlier this
year, that protected characteristics such as age and disability
have been given consideration in relation to DRS. The concern
articulated in the re3 consultation response (and potentially other
responses), was that there may be a large number of residents for
whom accessing a reverse-vending location, and/or using a
reverse-vending terminal, may be quite difficult.
5.12
It is hoped that when the consultations are fully analysed and
their findings incorporated into future Secondary Legislation, such
considerations will be addressed.
5.13
A business case for procuring vehicles and staff sufficient to
serve all households in the three-council area, alongside a
comprehensive DRS, would be unlikely to represent value for money.
The two services would seek to capture the same source of material
and would overlap, and duplicate effort, to a great extent.
5.14
It will be important for the re3 councils to ensure that any new
service can be efficiently specified – both to ensure it
serves the genuine needs of local residents but also to manage the
potentially significant financial impacts.
5.15
As described above at 5.7, secondary legislation, drafts of which
have yet to be made public, will determine the scale of any DRS.
The legislative and strategic detail will need to be considered in
a local context, alongside the specifics and timing of any
‘new net burdens’ funding. Once those essential
pre-requisites for the re3 councils (and no-doubt many other local
authorities across the country) can be put together, it will be
possible to prepare a programme for a kerbside glass collection
service.
5.16
In the interests of clarity, Members of the Board, on behalf of the
re3 councils, are recommended to re-state their commitment to
exploring kerbside glass collection when the aforementioned
pre-requisites have been clarified by Government.
Mixed
Glass
5.17
The re3 Partnership operates more than 570 bring banks for glass,
across 138 sites. Residents are asked to separate glass bottles and
jars according to their colour; green, brown or clear. Separation
by colour was previously necessary to ensure that re3 glass could
be recycled back into bottles and jars.
5.18
With the introduction of colour sorting technology at reprocessor
facilities, mixed glass can now be separated into different colour
streams by machinery. As a result, all of the re3 glass recycling
banks will begin accepting mixed glass from the middle of November.
The re3 glass will continue to be recycled via a closed-loop
process.
5.19
The Contractor has calculated that 25% of re3 glass is brown, 34%
is clear and 41% is green. As many bring bank sites currently have
one bank for each colour, mixed glass collections should help to
optimise the collection schedules and reduce the likelihood of
overflows. Mixed glass collections will also help to optimise space
in the collection vehicles and at the re3 transfer stations.
5.20
As well as financial and environmental benefits, it is anticipated
that the change will also make recycling at the bring banks easier
for re3 residents.
5.21
New stickers will be added to the collars of the existing bring
banks to inform residents of the change. A press release has also
been published and the information accessible via the QR code on
the banks and on the re3 website has been updated.
5.22
In addition, this information is being publicised using re3 social
media and newsletter as well as via the council own social
channels. An advert on the mixed glass was produced and placed in
the resident’s magazine that is going to be distributed
amongst Bracknell’s residents.
Reuse Pop-Up Shop
5.23
The first ever re3 Reuse Pop-Up Shop was organised on the
23rd and 24th October at the Reading
Recycling Site. The pop-up shop was located at the car park
allowing residents to visit without a booking.
5.24
The event was organised and supported by the Contractor, who was
responsible for gathering suitable items for reuse, arranging its
storage and performing quality and safety checks.
5.25
The pop-up shop was promoted to the public using available re3
channels such as social media and the newsletter and was also
publicised in the local news outlets.
5.26
Visitors to the reuse shop were able to purchase items from a wide
range of kids toys and games including electronic games, board
games and books, sporting goods including kids and adults’
bicycles; garden tools, pots and planters; electrical and a
selection of furniture.
5.27
Over the weekend, we registered 350 items being sold and re-homed,
at a total weight of just over 2.76 tonnes.
5.28
All profit generated during the weekend was donated for a good
cause, Sue Ryder.
5.29
Feedback from the event was exceptional with visitors praising the
concept, value of items and friendly behaviour of staff.
5.30
The event provided opportunity to learn some important lessons
about running similar activities in the future. A decision about
hosting regular event of the similar nature will be made after the
next trial event at the Bracknell site that is currently planned
for January 2022.
5.31
Photos from the event can be seen in Appendix 2.
Rigid
Plastics Recycling Trial
5.32
Members will recall that a rigid plastics recycling trial commenced
at both Recycling Centres in early July 2021. The purpose of the
trial was to enable the costs and benefits of the service to be
assessed.
5.33
At the meeting of the Joint Waste Disposal Board in September 2021,
Officers reported that the cost to recycle rigid plastics was a
little higher than the cost of sending the same waste to landfill.
Officers have liaised with the Contractor in relation to haulage of
the material and the weight per load has been slightly increased.
Updated costs are therefore presented in Appendix 3. Members will
note that the average cost per tonne in September and October stood
at £133. This compares to £147 per tonne to send the
same waste to landfill.
5.34
The reprocessor remains predominantly happy with the quality of the
re3 material and residents have continued to make good use of the
service. In the four months between July and October (inclusive),
over 120 tonnes of rigid plastics have been sent for recycling.
5.35
Whilst Officers continue to work with the Contractor ensure
transport of loads is efficient, it is recommended that the trial
be extended for another six months, until June 2022.
Recycling Centre Usage
5.36
Members will recall that a number of trials were undertaken over
the summer to progressively increase the number of bookable slots
available at the recycling centres. The intention was to reach an
optimised and practically operable level.
5.37
A proposal for increased levels of slots was approved at the Joint
Waste Disposal Board in September, leading to 7,080 slots being
available per week at Smallmead, by the end of September, and 6,978
slots being available at Longshot Lane.
5.38
As a result of the winter opening hours coming into effect from
1st October, the number of available slots is currently
6,192 per week at Smallmead and 6,096 per week at Longshot
Lane.
5.39
Following the increase in available slots, the Recycling Centres
are no longer becoming fully booked, and same-day appointments are
routinely available. A graph showing the percentage of booked slots
during the 8-week period in September and October is shown in
Appendix 4. On average, 84% of slots at Smallmead, and 87% of slots
available at Longshot Lane were booked per week, during this
period.
5.40
Some time slots are more in demand than others, and this is also
shown in Appendix 4. Members will observe that some slots remain
fully booked and that the booking system continues to manage the
flow of users to the sites.
5.41
The recent data also indicates that the ‘no show rate’
at Smallmead appears to be declining. Whilst the reason for this is
unclear, the availability of additional slots may be a relevant
factor. Officers will continue to monitor this data.
User
Satisfaction
5.42
The annual User Satisfaction Survey for the re3 Recycling Centres
was conducted in the autumn of 2021.
5.43
Following the successful use of an online survey in 2020, residents
were again invited to participate in an online survey after their
trip home.
5.44
The survey was conducted between the 27th October and
18th November and 1,479 responses were received for
Longshot Lane, whilst 1,383 responses were received for
Smallmead.
5.45
At Smallmead the number of respondents rating their overall
satisfaction levels as 4 or 5 out of 5 was 91%. At Longshot Lane,
this figure was 88%.
5.46
A further comparison of the two sites is presented in Appendix 5.
Whilst the results are mixed, there have been no significant
changes since the 2020 survey, and overall levels of satisfaction
at Smallmead have slightly increased. The proportion of residents
giving the highest marks for how safe they felt on site also
increased in 2021; rising from 94% at both sites in 2020 to 96% at
Smallmead and 97% at Longshot Lane.
5.47
During the 2021 survey, resident opinion on the booking system was
sought and the final results are presented in Appendix 6. There was
a balanced response with regards to the preference to come to site
‘whenever you like’. However the other responses
demonstrate that the vast majority of residents find the booking
system to use and that it has positive benefits in terms of queue
length and ability to recycle.
5.48
Officers will review the full results of the survey with the
Contractor to identify further areas for improvement.
Chargeable
Wastes at HWRC
5.49
Members will recall that the chargeable waste prices at the
Recycling Centres were reviewed when the Trade Waste trial became a
permanent service and that the amended prices were implemented in
April 2021.
5.50
As a result of inflation, an increase in fees and charges is being
proposed by one of the re3 Councils. Following on from this,
Officers have reviewed the prices being charged for disposal of
waste at the re3 recycling centres.
5.51
As Members have previously requested that prices be rounded there
are some materials for which a 5% increase in costs is effectively
already covered. However there are a small number of materials
where an increase would be unavoidable. These are detailed
below.
|
User
|
Material
|
Unit
|
Current Price
|
Proposed Price (where different)
|
|
Residents and Businesses
|
Plasterboard
|
25L
|
£1.50
|
|
|
Rubble
|
25L
|
£2.50
|
|
|
Soil
|
25L
|
£2.50
|
|
|
Asbestos
|
20kg
|
£8.00
|
|
|
Gas Canisters
|
Per item
|
£6.00
|
|
|
Businesses
|
Bagged General Waste
|
25L
|
£1.50
|
|
|
Garden Waste
|
25L
|
£0.50
|
£1.00
|
|
Wood
|
25L
|
£0.50
|
£1.00
|
|
Paper, Cardboard, Tins, Cans, Plastic Bottles,
Pots, Tubs and Trays
|
25L
|
£0
|
|
|
Glass bottles and jars
|
25L
|
£0
|
|
|
Scrap Metal
|
25L
|
£0
|
|
|
Textiles
|
25L
|
£0
|
|
|
Bulky Residual Items
|
Per item
|
£7.00
|
|
|
Small Electrical Items
|
Per item
|
£0.50
|
£1.00
|
|
Large Electrical Items (WEEE)
|
Per item
|
£4.50
|
|
|
Computers/TVs
|
Per item
|
£1.50
|
|
|
Fridge/Freezers
|
Per item
|
£5.00
|
|
|
Commercial Fridge/Freezers
|
Per item
|
£62.00
|
£65.00
|
|
Ink Cartridges
|
Per item
|
£1.00
|
|
|
Engine Oil
|
5L
|
£1.00
|
|
5.52
Any agreed changes to the charges will be implemented from April
1st 2022.
re3Grow Compost
5.53
Following the successful sale of re3grow compost in 2020/21,
Officers have ordered 10,000 bags of 40L compost for next year. The
compost is set to arrive in early Spring 2022.
5.54
To cover the costs, the price per bag will be £4, or
residents can purchase three bags for £11.
Communications
5.55
At the end of September during the Recycle Week, re3 Officers with
the support of Contractor delivered a webinar that focused on
benefits of recycling and its impact on the climate change. The
event was very well received and was attended by almost 70
participants. Registered participants who were unable to attend (in
total 160) received the link to the recording which can be access
via re3 YouTube channel.
5.56
MRF Robot picker has been successfully installed at the Reading
facility and is currently at the machine optimisation stage, for
example is learning how to target materials with varying labels
(images attached in the Appendix 6). A current overall successful
pick up rate is around 80% with the plastic pick up rate exceeding
90%. Further communications activities, including naming of the
robot are being planned.
5.57
Festive communication activities are being planned with a social
content to be provided to the respective teams.
6 ADVICE
RECEIVED FROM ADMINISTERING AUTHORITY
Head of Legal Services
6.1 None for this report.
Corporate Finance Business Partner
6.2
None for this report.
Equalities Impact Assessment
6.3 None.
Strategic Risk Management Issues
6.4 None
Climate Impact Assessment
6.5 Each of the re3 Councils has made
commitments relating to climate change, and the UK Government
declared a Climate Change emergency in 2019. As a result,
a high-level assessment has been
undertaken on the impact of mixed glass collections on carbon
emissions.
·
Energy Use – No known impacts
·
Waste Generation – No known impacts
·
Transport – Additional lifts take place in addition to
scheduled lifts, when a bank has overflowed, or is likely to
overflow before its collection. If all additional lifts could be
prevented via mixed glass collections, the Contractor estimates
that almost 2000 fewer miles would need to be driven per year. In
addition, mixed glass will generally be processed at a site closer
than the one used for colour separated glass. For each load
processed at the closer site, this saves 114 miles.
6.6 It has also been
assessed whether the decision will improve resilience to climate
change impacts.
·
Heatwaves – No known
impacts
·
Drought – No known
impacts
·
Flooding – No known
impacts
·
High Winds/Storms – No known
impacts
·
Disruption to Supply Chains – No
known impacts
6.7 The overall rating assigned to this change is
a ‘low positive’ one.
7
CONSULTATION
7.1
Principal Groups
Consulted
Not applicable.
7.2 Method of
Consultation
Not
applicable.
7.3 Representations
Received
Not applicable.
Background Papers
October 2020 re3
Board
Contacts for further
information
Sarah Innes, re3 Monitoring and Performance
Officer
0118 937 3459
sarah.innes@reading.gov.uk
Monika Bulmer, re3 Marketing and Communications
Officer
0118 937
3460
monika.bulmer@reading.gov.uk
Oliver Burt, re3
Project Director
0118
937 3990
oliver.burt@reading.gov.uk
