Agenda item

This report presents the final report from the Domestic Waste Recycling Scrutiny Review and asks Cabinet to approve the recommendations arising from the review. Councillor Healey, as Chair of the Task Group, will be attending the meeting to present the report.

Resolved: That Cabinet approves the recommendations shown in paragraph 7 of the report namely that:

i.       Future area based project work should use whole daily collection rounds where practical to facilitate more efficient data collection, analysis and reporting.

ii.     The branding should be developed, and bespoke and consistent campaign communications should be produced.

iii.    Future door step surveys should be carried out in-house or by other lower cost methods rather than be an external company.

iv.   Where practical, project work should be developed in conjunction with our local higher education establishments to give added value to the process and reduce the costs.

v.     Future campaigns should follow the example of this review by strictly measuring costs against benefits.

vi.   The level of savings expected to be achieved with project work should be identified, to establish a base against which all future campaigns can be measured.

vii.  Sufficient resources and capacity be maintained to enable the continuation of work at a community level and to allow officers time to establish measures that may foster longer term behavioural change and sustained levels of participation. 

viii. Future campaigns to include working with parish councils, residents’ associations and schools.

Reason:     To conclude the Scrutiny Review in line with CYC Scrutiny procedures and protocols.

Consideration was given to the final report from the Domestic Waste Recycling Scrutiny Review, a topic submitted by Cllr Healey, whose aim was to identify future improvements to CYC’s working methods in order to increase domestic waste recycling. The objectives had included looking at best practise, including incentive schemes and the effectiveness of scheduled initiatives.

As Chair of the Task Group, Cllr Healey presented the final report , outlining the issues which had led to delays in concluding the review, which included changes of Assistant Director and staff sickness together with a lack of information in respect of the effectiveness of individual schemes from other local authorities. He referred to the analysis undertaken from which it had not been possible to identify which individual activities were the most cost effective and pointing out that the authority did not appear to be getting value for money from their waste recycling campaigns.

The Chair questioned details of the criteria of the review and to the lack of outcomes and lost opportunities. He referred to the need to use the Without Walls Board and their partnership working to assist in research in the scrutiny process.

Members also referred to the expertise from the Council’s  membership of the Association of Public Service Excellence (APSE) who could assist in researching information from other authorities to help measure the impact of recycling campaigns, together with research on other scrutiny topics.

Officers also expressed their support for evidence based policy making, highlighting the expertise available from the local Universities. Scrutiny Chairs and Officers were asked to note the expertise and evidence base available from both APSE and the Universities in future scrutiny work. ^1.

Following further lengthy discussion it was

Resolved: That Cabinet approves the recommendations shown in paragraph 7 of the report namely that:

i.       Future area based project work should use whole daily collection rounds where practical to facilitate more efficient data collection, analysis and reporting.

ii.     The branding should be developed, and bespoke and consistent campaign communications should be produced.

iii.    Future door step surveys should be carried out in-house or by other lower cost methods rather than be an external company.

iv.   Where practical, project work should be developed in conjunction with our local higher education establishments to give added value to the process and reduce the costs.

v.     Future campaigns should follow the example of this review by strictly measuring costs against benefits.

vi.   The level of savings expected to be achieved with project work should be identified, to establish a base against which all future campaigns can be measured.

vii.  Sufficient resources and capacity be maintained to enable the continuation of work at a community level and to allow officers time to establish measures that may foster longer term behavioural change and sustained levels of participation. 

viii. Future campaigns to include working with parish councils, residents’ associations and schools.^1.

Reason:     To conclude the Scrutiny Review in line with CYC Scrutiny procedures and protocols.