Agenda and minutes

Venue: Council Chamber, Wokingham Borough Council

Contact: Hannah Stevenson  01344 352308

Items
No. Item

11.

Declarations of Interest

Members are asked to declare any disclosable pecuniary or affected interests in respect of any matter to be considered at this meeting.

 

Any Member with a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest in a matter should withdraw from the meeting when the matter is under consideration and should notify the Democratic Services Officer in attendance that they are withdrawing as they have such an interest. If the Disclosable Pecuniary Interest is not entered on the register of Members interests the Monitoring Officer must be notified of the interest within 28 days.

 

Any Member with an affected Interest in a matter must disclose the interest to the meeting.  There is no requirement to withdraw from the meeting when the interest is only an affected interest, but the Monitoring Officer should be notified of the interest, if not previously notified of it, within 28 days of the meeting.

Minutes:

There were no declarations of interest.

12.

Minutes of the Meeting of the Joint Waste Disposal Board pdf icon PDF 136 KB

To approve as a correct record the minutes of the Joint Waste Disposal Board held on 4 July 2019.

Minutes:

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of the Joint Waste Disposal Board held on the 4 July 2019, be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

13.

Urgent Items of Business

To notify the Board of any items authorised by the Chairman on the grounds of urgency.

Minutes:

There were no urgent items of business.

14.

Progress Report pdf icon PDF 492 KB

To brief the re3 Joint Waste Disposal Board on progress in the delivery of the re3 Joint Waste PFI Contract.

                                                                                     

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Board considered a report on progress in the delivery of the re3 Joint Waste PFI Contract.  The report covered:

 

·                  re3 Waste Strategy 2018 to 2020

·                  Climate Change

·                  Trade Waste at the Household Waste Recycling Centres

·                  Reuse Shop

·                  Lakeside Energy from Waste facility

·                  User Satisfaction

·                  Confirmation of Changes to Waste Acceptance Protocol

·                  Receipt of Food Waste at Longshot Lane and Smallmead

·                  Joint Policy on Contamination of Kerbside Collected MDR

·                  Communications

 

 

The Board was presented with updated information on the rate of recycling.  Food waste collection in Wokingham had increased recycling by 6.6% in the borough.  Wood recycling had also added to the overall rate in all three boroughs.  The good weather had also contributed to an increase in green waste collected.  The partnership average recycling rate was therefore 47%.  Kerbside recycling was up year-on-year in each borough and contamination had reduced too.  It was noted that

recycling at Longshot Lane and Smallmead would be monitored.

 

The Board was reminded that all three councils had made commitments to address climate change.  The task for each was now to match their words with appropriate actions.  There had been considerable reductions in use of landfill, but there was a need to identify the means to make decisions from a climate change perspective alongside the commonly used economic and performance perspectives.  The re3 Project Team had explored partnering with the University of Reading.  A proposal had been put forward to set a baseline and identify the most purposeful actions plus communications to bring about behavioural change using the University’s expertise.  Following receipt of the quotation, some clarifications were to be sought before further consideration.  It was suggested that it would be worthwhile investigating what the Local Government Association was doing to support councils.  Oliver Burt undertook to circulate the details of the existing proposal to members of the Board.

 

The Board was advised that a seven month trial of accepting trade waste from a limited number of re3-based small businesses, was to start on 4 November 2019.  19 businesses from a range of sectors, including a parish council, had signed up to participate in the trial. An update on progress would be presented to the next meeting on 23 January 2020.  The current costs were noted and that these would be reviewed at the end of the trial.

 

Arising from trade waste trial, the Board was advised of a group which had not been accepted as a charity for the purposes of waste disposal.  It was reminded that the eligibility criteria for the charity scheme was a matter for each council to determine.

 

The Board also discussed the establishment of a reuse shop.  It was advised that the contractor, FCC, felt that the volume of available material could support one reuse shop at Smallmead or Longshot Lane.  Three possible options were outlined, whilst a fourth involving provision at both recycling centres was also being considered.  It was suggested that providing only one shop could result in longer journeys, contrary to the aim  ...  view the full minutes text for item 14.

15.

Exclusion of Public and Press

To consider the following motion:

 

That pursuant to Regulation 21 of the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Access to Information) Regulations 2000 and having regard to the public interest, members of the public and press be excluded from the meeting for the consideration of item 7 which involves the likely disclosure of exempt information under the following category of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972:

 

(3)      Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person.

Minutes:

That pursuant to Regulation 21 of the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Access to Information) Regulations 2000 and having regard to the public interest, members of the public and press be excluded from the meeting for the consideration of item 7 which involved the likely disclosure of exempt information under the following category of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972:

 

(3)        Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person.

16.

Annual Financial Statement

To update the Board on the Annual Financial Statement.

Minutes:

The Board considered a report summarising the current financial position of the joint waste PFI including:

 

           The 2018/19 accounts and detailed the emerging position in the current year.

 

           The first draft of the budget for 2020/21

 

It also briefed the Board on the reuse of water-based paints received at the Recycling Centres, preparations for the UK exit from the European Union and work with DEFRA regarding the Resources and Waste Strategy.

 

The Board was advised that:

 

·                  The contract saving for 2018/19 had been achieved in full.

 

·                  There had been a net underspend of £356k against the sum of the respective re3 council budgets.

 

·                  The three councils had benefitted from higher energy from waste capacity for their residual waste, increasing diversion from landfill, an increase in recyclate income and lower overall tonnages than expected.

 

·                  Recyclate income had risen to £377k in 2018/19, an increase of £149k from the previous year, arising from an increase in mixed dry recycling, including a full year of collecting pots, tubs and trays.

 

·                  The impact of Brexit was uncertain but re3 was in a good position to respond to whatever may happen.

 

·                  A second draft of the 2020/21 budget would be prepared in November.

 

·                  As part of the budget setting process for  2020/21, estimated savings of £25k from additional use of energy from waste in 2020/21 from recycling was to be directed to a recycling initiative in 2021/22, as agreed with Defra.

 

The Board discussed existing arrangements for the disposal of paint which was being undertaken by the Green Machine social enterprise.  It had become clear that the existing arrangement, despite its original merits as a social enterprise, was neither cost-effective, nor being completed effectively.  It was therefore agreed by the Board that the existing arrangement could no longer be supported.

 

RESOLVED that a reuse scheme for suitable water-based paint should be continued, if at all possible, via alternative means and on a non-profit basis.

17.

Date of the Next Board Meeting

The next Joint Waste Disposal Board is scheduled for the 23 January 2020, at Bracknell Forest Council.

 

Minutes:

The Group was reminded that its next meeting would be held at 9.30am on 23 January 2020.

 

Contact Information

Democratic services

Email: committee@bracknell-forest.gov.uk