21 JuNE 2022
___________________________________________________________________________
greening WASTE COLLECTION PROGRESS update
Executive Director: Delivery
1 Purpose of Report
1.1 The food waste recycling service for all houses in the borough started on 1 March 2021. The refuse collection frequency was changed to three weekly (from fortnightly) at the same time. The first thirteen months’ worth of performance data exceeds all of the targets that were set.
2 Recommendation
2.1 That the Executive note and approve the report.
3 Reasons for Recommendation
3.1 The greening waste and recycling collection service changes have exceeded all targets set.
4 Alternative Options Considered
4.1 None
5 Supporting Information
5.1 When the Executive made the decision to make the changes to the waste collection service there were clear targets. These were;
· Increasing the reuse, recycling and composting rate to over 50%
· A reduction in landfill to less than 10%.
5.2 To achieve a 50% recycling rate a minimum of 4,000 tonnes of food waste needed to be collected for recycling in year 1. Year 1 ran from 1 March 2021 until 28 February 2022, in that time 6,031 tonnes of food waste was collected (34% above target). During the first full financial year 2021/22 5,983 tonnes of food waste was collected.
The graph in figure 1 shows the target tonnage for each month in blue and the collected tonnage for each month in the 2021/22 financial year in green. March 2021 is recorded in orange. The data for the graph is in table 1 in Appendix 1.
Figure 1: Tonnes of food collected by month against the target of 333 tonnes per month
5.3 The dashed line in the graph in figure 1 shows the average food waste collected through the financial year 2021/22 and there is a slightly reducing trend, the dips are in line with relaxing of government restrictions and subsequent change in residents’ behaviour, for example people going out to eat at restaurants more and an increased return to the workplace. In recent months the rise in the cost of living may also be playing a part. The waste tonnages are monitored closely for these trends and this will continue. While the food waste has shown a slight drop the refuse tonnage has remained fairly static so there is an early indication that residents have reduced their overall food waste which is a positive trend.
5.4 The recycling rate for 2021/22 is expected to be 56% (pending validation by DEFRA), this is an increase of 13% compared to 2020/21 and 2019/20 when the recycling rate was 43%. This increase is huge, in comparison in 2020/21 the largest increase recorded by a local authority in England was 5.2%. The impact of food waste collections on the borough’s reuse, recycling and composting rate can be seen in the graph in figure 2 below.
Figure 2: Reuse, recycling and composting rate for Bracknell Forest for the last 7 years
5.5 Our 56% recycling rate could see Bracknell Forest move 100 or more places up the ‘recycling league table’ for English local authorities, for 2020/21 we were 150th out of 338, 56% should push us into at least the top 40. The league table includes all local authorities but when compared to just the Unitary authorities Bracknell Forest could move into the top 10 for recycling, East Riding of Yorkshire Council were the highest performing Unitary last year with 60.8%.
Figure 3 below shows the reuse, recycling and composting rates for Bracknell Forest and our CIPFA ‘nearest neighbour’ Unitary local authorities. 2021/22 data is up until the end of quarter 3 for all the authorities shown because quarter 4 data is not yet reportable for other authorities. The graph shows that up until the end of December 2021 Bracknell Forest are now the third highest performing authority in that group having previously been nineth. The data for the last 3 years for the 13 Local Authorities is shown in table 5 in Appendix 1.
Figure 3: CIPFA nearest neighbour group of Unitary Authorities recycling performance for the last 3 years.
5.6 The landfill rate for 2021/22 is expected to be 7% (pending validation by DEFRA), this is reduced by more than half compared to 2020/21 when it was 16% and 2019/20 at 17%. The amount of waste landfilled was 3,630 tonnes for 2021/22 compared to 8,290 tonnes the year before. The graph shown below in figure 4 shows the landfill rate for the last seven financial years.
Figure 4: Landfill Rate for Bracknell Forest for the last 7 financial years
5.7 The graph in figure 5 shows the refuse tonnage collected at the kerbside for the last 3 years and the data is in table 2 in Appendix 1. The reduction in waste going to landfill is largely down to the changes to the kerbside collection service, there has been a 25% reduction in waste being put out as refuse in 2021/22 (blue line) compared to pre-covid levels in 2019/20 (green line).
2020/21 is in red on the graph and refuse was generally 10% higher than previous years due to Covid restrictions and large numbers of people being at home most of the time.
Figure 5: Tonnes of waste collected as refuse for the last 3 financial years
5.8 A fixed tonnage (16,600 tonnes) of refuse is sent to an Energy from Waste facility, this is a contractual obligation through the re3 partnership. This does mean that all diversion of waste to composting or recycling rather than being in the refuse bins is a diversion from landfill.
5.9 Approximately 90% of houses across the borough are participating in the food waste recycling, this is one of the main reasons the amount of food collected has been so high. Many food waste recycling schemes run by local authorities have participation levels of less than 70%.
5.10 The dry recycling and garden waste services remain unchanged and are still collected fortnightly. It is more difficult to draw conclusions for both of these services, it was expected that the changes to the waste service would lead to an increase in recycling and composting at the kerbside, however most of the expected increase took place before the changes took effect because of the impact of covid and government restrictions.
5.11 Covid restrictions increased the use of the blue bins during 2020 as people’s behaviour significantly changed. Increased use of home delivery services increased the packaging people had to recycle, people being at home more, preparing and eating meals at home would have also had an impact on the levels of recyclable packaging. Dry recycling amounts in the blue bins have increased by 17% compared to 2019/20. This can be seen in the graph in figure 6 below, the data is shown in table 3 in Appendix 1.
Figure 6: Tonnes recycled in the blue bins for the last 3 financial years
5.12 Gardening also became popular during lockdowns and whilst the Recycling Centres were closed many people did begin to use the kerbside service more than previously. Garden waste is also impacted by the weather and does fluctuate naturally from one year to the next. The garden waste tonnage is also affected through each year by the seasons and naturally decreases from a high point in quarter 1 down to a lower level in the winter months in quarter 4.
There has been an overall increase in the annual tonnage in the brown bin collections, garden waste collected in the brown bins increased by 19% compared to 2019/20. This can be seen in the graph in figure 7, the data for this graph is shown in table 4 in Appendix 1.
Figure 7: Tonnes collected for composting in the brown bins/sacks for the last 3 financial years
5.13 The collection changes have reduced the impact waste disposal has on climate change. Composting the food at an anaerobic digestion plant, rather than disposing of it in landfill, has meant that in the first full financial year 3.69 million kg of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) was avoided in disposal related emissions. This is because composting the food waste at the anaerobic digestion facility emits 616.7 kg less CO2e per tonne than landfilling the food waste. This figure used comes from the Government Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy’s Greenhouse gas reporting conversion factors.
For the new service there was an increase in the number of waste collection vehicles on the road and although this has increased the fleet related CO2e emissions by 72,000kg per annum, the reduction from the change in disposal far outweighs this and still gives an overall decrease of 3.62 million kg of CO2e
The graph in figure 8 shows the monthly impact of the changes as a red line with the disposal and vehicle impacts as blue and orange bars:
Figure 8: Climate Change impacts during 2021/22
5.14 The Executive wanted the option of additional refuse collections available for those residents that really required them. Out of 42,500 households covered by the new service there are currently only 21 that have extra collections of waste that would typically go into the green refuse bins. These collections are for circumstances when it would not be appropriate to wait three weeks for waste to be collected. Incontinence related waste and households with multiple children in nappies make up the majority of the households that currently use this service. Applications for this service are assessed by the waste and recycling officers who then offer support and advice to make sure the household is provided with a service that meets their genuine needs.
5.15 The communications campaign was an essential part of the service changes. Covid hit the UK just after the Council had announced that the new food waste recycling service had been approved. This caused us to alter our communications significantly, with a lack of face-to-face communication options that have typically been used for service change in the past, we had to use different ways to reach people to educate and support them on the changes.
5.16 Through a wide range of communications, creative design, resident involvement, and a little input from a Hollywood actress, we were able to engage residents in the planning and implementation of the new service. The main communication channels that were used were:
· Social media (over 31,000 followers across Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter)
· E-newsletter (over 8,500 subscribers)
· Press releases
· Leaflets to all households
· Internal staff intranet and Forest Views
· Local radio
· Local newspaper
· Town and Country
5.17 We created a targeted campaign in the lead up to the launch that tackled our most frequently asked questions, informed residents on the benefits of the changes, kept them updated on the progress of the roll out and provided information on how the new service would operate. The campaign had a common theme that ran throughout, our food related characters that were created by Bracknell Forest’s Communications team:
5.18 Our truck naming competition proved extremely popular and even caught the attention of Dame Judi Dench, a resident put forward the name ‘Dame Foodie Dench’ for one of the new food trucks, this proved to be the most popular name when the names were put to the public vote:
5.19 Appendix 2 shows some examples of the communications used and some information on the reactions our social media posts received.
5.20 Once the new service had begun and became established, the team continued to inform the public on progress, offer hints and tips on how to make the most of the recycling services and also remind people that the waste and recycling team were there if support was required.
2021, like 2020 was limited in terms of face to face engagement as many of the local events and fetes that we have attended in the past were cancelled. As we head towards summer 2022 we do have some events in the diary so the team will once again begin more face to face communication.
5.21 The project has had a lot of Member involvement and support from the start. Following the Executive approval in January 2020 a Food Waste Members Steering Group was formed, this cross-party working group helped to shape the delivery of the service change and spread the word on how the new service would work and benefit the residents. Members were very active on social media and also in public meetings in getting the positive messages across, pointing residents that needed support in the right direction and also challenging some of the negative opinions in online forums. The Executive Member for the Environment also dealt with some of the complaints in person by visiting residents’ homes to resolve any issues.
5.22 In 2021 The Environment and Communities Overview and Scrutiny Panel both validated the waste collection service for houses and assessed the next steps of the food waste recycling service roll out to flats and properties with communal bins. The Executive approved the Panel’s recommendations and the planning for the roll out of food waste collections to around 1,800 flats begun towards the end of 2021. All of the flats in the borough are being assessed for suitability. The flats are being added to the collection service in phases, the first blocks joined the food service at the beginning of May 2022.
5.23 Residents in flats that are having food waste collections will receive information about the service before the bins are delivered. The waste and recycling team will door knock the blocks of flats to explain the new service and answer any questions that residents may have.
5.24 Before the service changes took place a waste analysis was carried out to find out how much food waste was in the average refuse bin. Follow up analysis is being carried out in May 2022, it is hoped there will be results from this by early June. In 2019 refuse bins contained 42% food waste by weight on average and 19% recyclables as shown in the diagram below:
5.25 The changes were forecast to deliver a small saving of around £185k through to the end of the waste collection contract in March 2027. The amount of food collected far exceeded the original estimates and this has meant that the disposal savings for the first full financial year were £230k more than estimated. However, £130k of this saving has been invested back into the service to increase the food waste collection rounds from four to five to accommodate the high participation level.
5.26 The changes made have been recognised as a huge success by external organisations and other local authorities. We have received lots of requests for advice from other local authorities that are planning on changing their refuse services to three weekly alongside introducing food.
The Waste and Recycling Manager has also presented at a number of seminars and events that have a nationwide audience from other local authorities and representatives from the private waste sector:
· 7 October 2021 – LARAC conference in Birmingham
· 10 March 2022 - National Food Waste Conference in London
· 27 April 2022 – Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association’s report launch webinar
· 15 June 2022 – Local Authorities Lunch at the World Biogas Expo in Birmingham
5.27 An iESE Certificate of Excellence has been awarded for the waste and recycling service and a second Certificate of Excellence for the communications campaign. We were also short listed as finalists at the 2021 National Recycling Awards and are finalists for this year’s LGC Awards.
Next Steps
5.28 The impact of the Environment Bill on local authorities is not yet confirmed, however there have been some indications of what we can expect in terms of waste management and the main ones that will likely impact Bracknell Forest so far are:
· Kerbside glass collections will become mandatory
· A deposit return scheme (DRS) for metal and plastic drink containers between 50ml and 3 litres is being introduced and this will remove a proportion of these items from our waste stream
5.29 Further announcements on the rest of the waste impacts including changes to legislation around charging for garden waste and how the government would like local authorities to be more consistent in their approach to waste management are expected this year.
6 Consultation and Other Considerations
Legal Advice
6.1 There are no specific legal implications arising from the recommendations in this report. The contents do however reflect the progress made by the Council in support of its climate change strategy objectives and the broader governmental obligations under the Climate Change Act 2008.
Financial Advice
6.2 As stated within the report the improving recycling rates (including the newly introduced food waste) have had a positive impact on the Council’s budgets, with 2021-22 reporting an underspend position of £0.760m against the waste contract budget.
Other Consultation Responses
6.3 None
Equalities Impact Assessment
6.4 Assisted collections are available for residents who are not able to take their own bins out and as detailed in 2.14 additional support is offered to those residents in genuine need.
Strategic Risk Management Issues
6.5 The waste service is starting to experience some cost increases; price rises in fuel are already being seen. In addition to the fuel, the prices of collection containers are also increasing. These increases are being monitored as part of the usual budget monitoring process.
The Environment Bill will dramatically change the waste industry in both collection and disposal. The team are monitoring the situation closely to ensure the Borough is ready and prepared for future changes.
Climate Change Implications
6.6 The changes that have been made to the waste collection service have reduced emissions from landfill considerably as outlined in 5.13. The introduction of food waste to flats will continue to reduce the amount of food waste going to landfill and avoid further CO2e emissions.
Health & Wellbeing Considerations
6.7 The waste and recycling collection service is utilised by all households in the borough. Support, advice and additional waste services are available to those that require assistance with their waste for any medical related reasons.
Reducing waste and improving recycling are positive ways that all residents can influence climate change, knowing that their actions are contributing to improving the environment can be empowering and enhance wellbeing.
Background Papers
Not applicable
Contacts for further information
Damian James
Assistant Director: Contract Services
01344 351325
Damian.james@bracknell-forest.gov.uk
Claire Pike
Head of Environmental Services
01344 352520
Claire.pike@bracknell-forest.gov.uk
Appendix 1
Table 1: Tonnes of food collected from kerbside caddies
|
|
Target |
2020/21 |
2021/22 |
|
April |
333 |
545 |
|
|
May |
333 |
486 |
|
|
June |
333 |
552 |
|
|
July |
333 |
513 |
|
|
August |
333 |
471 |
|
|
Sept |
333 |
513 |
|
|
Oct |
333 |
455 |
|
|
Nov |
333 |
508 |
|
|
Dec |
333 |
495 |
|
|
Jan |
333 |
525 |
|
|
Feb |
333 |
432 |
|
|
Mar |
333 |
536 |
488 |
|
Total |
4000 |
536 |
5983 |
Table 2: Tonnes of refuse collected in green bins
|
|
2019/20 |
2020/21 |
2021/22 |
|
April |
1921 |
2191 |
1374 |
|
May |
1857 |
2099 |
1225 |
|
June |
1766 |
2146 |
1490 |
|
July |
1968 |
2196 |
1374 |
|
August |
1800 |
1829 |
1319 |
|
Sept |
1672 |
2130 |
1420 |
|
Oct |
1878 |
1981 |
1267 |
|
Nov |
1740 |
2014 |
1376 |
|
Dec |
1748 |
2006 |
1352 |
|
Jan |
2137 |
2202 |
1384 |
|
Feb |
1669 |
1984 |
1207 |
|
Mar |
1919 |
1383 |
1410 |
|
Total |
22075 |
24160 |
16200 |
Table 3: Tonnes of dry recycling collected in blue bins
|
|
2019/20 |
2020/21 |
2021/22 |
|
Q1 |
1248 |
1509 |
1607 |
|
Q2 |
1223 |
1410 |
1444 |
|
Q3 |
1253 |
1499 |
1512 |
|
Q4 |
1436 |
1647 |
1479 |
|
Total |
5160 |
6065 |
6042 |
Table 4: Tonnes of garden waste collected in brown bins and sacks
|
|
2019/20 |
2020/21 |
2021/22 |
|
Q1 |
1657 |
2018 |
1812 |
|
Q2 |
1336 |
1639 |
1595 |
|
Q3 |
1091 |
1355 |
1298 |
|
Q4 |
606 |
926 |
858 |
|
Total |
4690 |
5938 |
5562 |
Table 5: CIPFA Nearest Neighbour unitary Authorities reuse, recycling and composting rates
|
Authority |
2019/20 |
2020/21 |
2021/22 up to end of Q3 |
|
Bath and North East Somerset |
56.2% |
59.2% |
60.3% |
|
Bedford |
42.7% |
40.0% |
39.1% |
|
Bracknell Forest Council |
42.9% |
43.4% |
57.1% |
|
Central Bedfordshire |
43.9% |
46.1% |
47.0% |
|
Milton Keynes Council |
56.3% |
53.8% |
53.8% |
|
Reading Borough Council |
35.3% |
36.1% |
51.9% |
|
Solihull MBC |
36.7% |
37.7% |
37.3% |
|
South Gloucestershire Council |
59.1% |
58.5% |
61.2% |
|
Swindon Borough Council |
42.8% |
39.6% |
36.9% |
|
Thurrock Council |
34.8% |
28.0% |
29.4% |
|
Warrington Borough Council |
47.5% |
44.4% |
43.0% |
|
West Berkshire District Council |
49.4% |
49.0% |
50.5% |
|
Windsor and Maidenhead Council |
45.0% |
48.3% |
50.8% |
|
Wokingham Council |
50.3% |
49.5% |
54.9% |
Appendix 2
Our food waste campaign characters:
Truck naming competition:
Here are a few of the adverts we
ran in the local newspaper:
A few examples showing the
engagement levels of our social media posts:
