Agenda item

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

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

Contract. Andy Edwards, Assistant Director Environmental & Commercial Services

introduced the report.

The report covered:

·         Waste Flows (since commencement of virus Lockdown/beginning of 20/21)

·         re3 Waste Statistics

·         Ongoing Operation of re3 HWRCs as Covid-19 Measures Evolve

·         User Satisfaction

·         Lakeside Energy from Waste and Heathrow

·         Chargeable Wastes at HWRC

·         Trade Waste Service

·         re3Grow

·         re3Paint

·         WRAP Contamination Project

·         Clinical Waste

·         Climate Change

·         re3 Strategy and Partnership

·         Review of Performance Monitoring

·         Communications

The report covered the changes that had been made to the re3 booking system, which now allowed users to cancel their bookings if they no longer required them, in time for potential reallocation.

The annual user satisfaction survey couldn’t be conducted in the usual way due to the pandemic, so was conducted using an online form during December. More than 3000 responses were received across both sites, with satisfaction levels scoring high.

The main phase of a project aimed at understanding and targeting contamination, in Bracknell and Reading, had been completed, and the provisional results in the trial areas were positive.

A review of the chargeable waste rates at the HWRC had also been concluded. The  charges, for non-Household Waste types, are  for costs only, with no profit being made. Officers reported the proposals to reduce the cost for some items such as soil and rubble.

The re3 reusable paint scheme was now available for residents at the HWRC sites.

To help improve information to residents about recycling and to help reduce untidyiness and/or fly-tipping at bottle bank sites, new stickers were being applied to bottle banks. The stickers feature a QR code, which can be scanned by smartphones for access to a web-page containing information about the appropriate use of the bottle banks. The information is available in English as well as being translated into 6 other languages, in use across the re3 area.

A range of educational webinars covering topics of recycling and waste management

had been delivered to re3 residents via Zoom in November and December 2020, these covered topics including the benefits of food waste recycling and festive recycling tips and statistics.

The situation regrading the transmission of the Covid-19 virus had been worse than last March/April amongst staff. At one point up to 24 re3 staff were having to self-isolate due to family members displaying symptoms or having been contacted by track and trace. There were no service reductions at present, but all contingencies put in place in Spring 2020 remained open.

Members reported that feedback received about the online booking system had been very positive, and it was felt that a booking system should remain going forward. Officers agreed that a review would take place in June 2021, where options for the system could be looked at in detail. It was requested that a paper be brought to the Board at its July meeting.

Since introducing the facility to cancel bookings, on the Recycling Centre booking system, overall numbers of bookings had been lower than earlier in the year,  due to Christmas and the post-Christmas ‘lull’ being included within in this period. While it was apparent that bookings were being cancelled now, the number of ‘no shows’, where a booking is made but not redeemed via an actual visit, had not yet reduced by the amount hoped-for by officers. Officers undertook to continue pushing positive messaging about the cancellation facility because service efficiency is important, not least for residents who may miss-out on a booking as a result.  This would also be revisited as part of the June review.

The booking system had been shown to manage a steady flow of visitors, reducing off-site impacts such as queuing which had often caused unwanted outcomes for neighbouring businesses and other council services, who also use the sites. However, by so managing the flow of visitors, officers explained that it was not possible to identify when highest demand for bookings. This was expected to remain at weekends. 

An automated reminder email is sent to all residents prior to their bookings.Officers undertook to investigate  whether the system was able to send out automatic emails to those residents that had missed their slots. This would be discussed with the provider.

Covid tonnages had been tracked throughout the period from the first lockdown, residual waste was up 10%, kerbside recycling had increased by 13%, garden waste had increased by 21%, food waste by 28% and the bring banks were up 33%.

RESOLVED that

      i.        Members note the contents of this report.

     ii.        Members agree, subject to continued review at each re3 Board meeting, to provisionally retain a booking system, for access to the two re3 Household Waste Recycling Centres, until the end of June 2021, as described at 5.22 and that a report be brought to the July 2021 Board Meeting.

    iii.        Members approve the changes to Non-Household Waste and Trade Waste Prices, as presented at 5.40

   iv.        Members note the review of the performance monitoring regime described from paragraph 5.86 to 5.91.