Agenda item

Members are asked to consider the draft Final Report of the Domestic Waste Recycling Scrutiny Review.

Members considered the draft Final Report of the Domestic Waste Recycling Scrutiny Review.

Once the draft recommendations had been agreed by the Task Group, information on any associated implications and risks would be sought and included in the report prior to its presentation to the full Community Safety Overview and Scrutiny Committee in September 2014.

Members requested the following amendments to the draft report:

·        The report conclusions needed to highlight the importance of ensuring that arrangements were in place to clearly identify the sustainable increase in recycling generated by expenditure on specific campaigns and strategies. It was important to be able to identify the timescale within which expenditure on recycling strategies would be paid back through a reduction in general domestic waste and an increase in recycling rates.  Evidence needed to be in place to identify those strategies which worked well and provided the greatest value for money.  This should inform future work. Officers confirmed that they sought to do this, for example, although the Council had employed the services of a company to carry out the household survey, in future this would be done in-house or by working with the universities.    

·        Para 31 (bullet point 5) – include wording regarding the control area to state that participation rates recorded in many streets deteriorated over the course of the project.  This was due to anomalies created by a change of collection times and householders not putting recyclables out early enough for collection.  Rates were now returning to the previous levels.  Delete the final sentence of this bullet point.

·        In addition to the information provided on kerbside recycling tonnage yields, data should be included on tonnages of general waste.

·        The expenditure detailed in Annex G of the report should also include the costs of officer time.  The breakdown of these costs should form an annex to the report.  Reference should also be made to the 300 hours of work carried out by a student intern (unpaid).  The details on expenditure should be included in the main body of the report.

·        To address objective (ii) of the review, the wording tabled at the meeting should be included within the report.

·        The conclusion of the report should also make reference to the fact that consideration had been given to strategies which were in place in other local authorities.  Members had, however, determined that the work that was taking place in York was in line with this and that identifying the strategies which did and did not work was a more useful tool.

Members considered the draft recommendations and made the following amendments:

·        Recommendation (i) to be deleted

·        Recommendation (ii) to include more specific examples, such as engaging and working more with the universities.

·        Recommendation (iii) to also make reference to developing the work that was taking place with community groups including parish councils and residents’ associations

·        Recommendation (iv) wording to be amended to identify which strategies are working well and achieving value for money and which are not.

·        Include an additional recommendation stating that the Cabinet Member should put in place a rolling programme of intervention work.

·        Include an additional recommendation that the Cabinet Member should determine the level of savings expected to be achieved as a result of expenditure on recycling strategies.

·        Include an additional recommendation stating that future campaigns should be applied to entire rounds not part rounds to enable there to be sufficient data points to ensure statistical validity.

It was agreed that the Chair would meet with officers on 22 August 2014 at 2.00pm to finalise the wording of the report.

Resolved:  That, subject to the agreed amendments, the proposed review conclusions and draft recommendations be approved and forwarded to the Committee. 

Reason:     To conclude the review in line with scrutiny procedures and protocols.