Agenda item

The Board received a report on progress in the delivery of the re3 Joint Waste PFI

Contract.

The report covered:

·       Councillor and Stakeholder Briefing Sessions

·       re3 and Council Performance Statistics

·       Supermarket Bring Banks

·       re3Grow Compost

·       Rigid Plastics Recycling Trial

·       Mixed Glass

·       Communications

·       Council Objectives and Performance Information Review

Wider member sessions were being prepared and set up which would allow detail to be provided to members regarding the contact and what this does and what this could look like going forward. It was expected that these would be set up for each Council and it was hoped that dates would be set up by the Autumn meeting.

Sarah Innes reported the performance statistics for all three Council the provisional

recycling rates for 2021/2022, these were:

BFC – 56.2%

RBC – 51.5%

WBC – 54.2%

All three councils had an increase on their rates from the previous year. The main reasons for this were the changes made at kerbside recycling, and the years being compared were the first and second year of the pandemic with more waste being taken to the recycling centres in the past year.

The provisional 2021/22 recycling rates for the re3 recycling centres were presented

below alongside a comparison with 2020/21. In 2020/21, recyclable waste received at the re3 recycling centres fell by 33% as a result of the pandemic. It was assumed that the greater increase in residual waste tonnages in 2021/22, may therefore be linked to the changes made at the kerbside.

The re3 Councils had a statutory duty to report Local Authority Collected Municipal

Waste via Waste Data Flow. Where a supermarket collects waste through its own private arrangements, the supermarket can voluntarily report data, and this can be included in Waste Data Flow returns. Historically the Sainsbury’s Supermarkets within the Bracknell Forest and Wokingham Borough areas have reported tonnages of glass, plastics, cans, paper and cardboard collected at recycling banks located at their stores, however in April that the off-taker had changed and it was confirmed that the plastics, cans, paper and cardboard collected at these banks was no longer recycled. The bring bank arrangements at Sainsbury’s supermarkets were entirely separate to the kerbside or bring bank collections undertaken by the councils. The re3 Partnership has no control over how the Sainsbury’s waste is processed and no obligation to report this waste. Officers recommend these tonnages should no longer be includedin the Council statistics and Officers would add a

statement on the re3 website and re3cyclopedia app to ensure that residents are aware of the separation.

10,000 bags of 40L compost were ordered for sale at the Recycling Centre. The sales began in mid-March with more than 5,800 bags having been purchased by residents as of the end of May. The Partnership also launched the Community re3Grow scheme in May 2022. Through this scheme, local community groups could apply to receive free bags of compost to help promote environmental principles. Up to 5000 bags were made available through this scheme and 47 applications were received in May. Officers shared the details from the expression of interest forms with Members of the Joint Waste Disposal Board who approved the majority of the applications. Only 4 applications had been requested in June for compost. Communications would be promoted inside and outside the Council. Schools had not been included within the scheme because of the number of schools within the re3 area, there was learning now that could be looked at if the scheme was to go forward next year. It was agreed by the Board that schools be looked at and included going forward. The first feedback had been received and photos posted on social media.

The rigid plastics recycling trial had commenced at both Recycling Centres in early July 2021, residents had continued to make good use of the service with over 260 tonnes of rigid plastics having been sent for recycling in the nine months between July and March. Officers were confident that the cost of recycling would remain lower than the cost of landfilling the same material. Although a review of the transport arrangements would continue going forward, it was recommended to Members that this service be made permanent.

re3 glass recycling banks began accepting mixed glass in November 2021. A six-month review took place with the re3 Contractor in May 2022 to review the service. There had been significant fewer overflows over the same period. It had been identified that there were a small number of sites where residents were continuing to separate their glass by colour. Larger stickers had been ordered for these sites, to reduce any confusion and to encourage mixing in the banks.

Lauren Shute reported that she had started producing a contamination video, which was for educational and informational purposes for residents.

A new update had been released to the re3cylopedia phone app at the end of May. The phone app now utilised a new barcode technology, that allowed residents to scan their items to learn how to best recycle them. This had not yet been promoted as there was still an issue with postcodes on the app which was being worked on.

RESOLVED that

       i.         Members note the contents of the report.

     ii.         Members approve the recommendation at 5.20 within the report to discontinue the reporting of Sainsbury’s bring bank tonnages and add a statement on the re3 website to highlight the separate nature of the council services.

    iii.         Members approve the recommendation at 5.31of the report to end the rigid plastics recycling trial and make the service a permanent arrangement at both recycling centres.