Agenda item

This report advises the Executive Member for Neighbourhood Services of the receipt of three petitions from residents in the Groves area of the City and recommends how to respond to them.

RESOLVED:            That the Executive Member approves Option 1 as follows:

REASON:      To ensure the issues in the trial area can be addressed in preparation for the roll out to the remainder of the City.

The Executive Member considered a report which advised of the receipt of three petitions from residents in the Groves area of the city and recommends how to respond to them.

Officers updated that 3 petitions had been received against the use of wheeled bins in the area. The Groves area is a pilot area and the feedback from refuse collection crews indicates that so far, the pilot is working and there has been no issues such as bins being left out. Several weeks into the pilot the occurrence of overfilled bins has reduced as residents have got used to the system and residents have been taking ownership of bins by numbering them. The area will be monitored over the coming weeks as the returning Students are expected to make an impact on waste in the area.

Representations were heard from the lead petitioner of all three petitions, Mr. Lankester. He advised that the narrow width of some of the alleyways along with  narrow spaces to gather all the bins on collection day, meant there are problems with access. He stated that many residents are keeping wheeled bins on front forecourts, to the detriment of the area. He queried the wisdom of rolling out the scheme to other areas of York whilst the Groves pilot is still under review.

Councillor King as Shadow Executive Member, expressed his concern that in some areas it is not practical to take out wheeled bins and that there seems to be some confusion over recycling in general around the city, such as what materials can be recycled and which boxes can be used for specific materials.

In response to the above comments, officers advised that trials have identified that 3 recycling boxes are the optimum system for collecting recyclable items and that the correct way to recycle is promoted alongside the Easter and Christmas collection calendars. In addition a degree of sorting is undertaken by crews at the kerbside. In relation to certain areas not being suitable for wheeled bins, it has proved to work in such areas if there is a collection point for the bins. Officers pointed out that the health and safety of the refuse collection crews needs to be taken into account as a reason for the move towards wheeled bins.

The Executive Member stated that further consultation is the way forward and that a single solution should not be imposed on all streets if it does not work in all areas, but this needs to be managed within existing budgets. The Executive Member queried whether a further update on the matter could be brought to Novembers decision session. Officers confirmed that this would give them enough time to complete further consultation.

RESOLVED:             That the Executive Member approves Option 1 as follows:

REASON:      To ensure the issues in the trial area can be addressed in preparation for the roll out to the remainder of the City.