Agenda item

Report of the Assistant Director – Operational In-House Services to follow

Further to Minute No. 49 (3) of 5 March 2024 the Committee considered the report of the Assistant Director – Operational In-House Services that updated on the current Waste and Recycling Collection Service and waste containment and which included project work underway; and that outlined impending national changes within the waste industry and the subsequent impact those changes would have upon the service within Sefton.

The report indicated that Sefton Council collected approximately 118,602 tonnes of household waste from approximately 120,000 properties across the borough on an annual basis; that this was a combined total from all waste streams; that approximately 98,000 properties participated in the garden waste collection service delivered on a 3-weekly basis; that Sefton’s 2021/22 recycling rate was 33.2% and each household in Sefton generated on average 614.9 kgs of waste that year; and that in comparison to the rest of the Liverpool City Region (LCR), Sefton ranked around mid-table but was significantly below the national average for recycling performance which was about 45%.

The report also detailed the environmental, financial and local drivers for change relating to the way waste was collected both in Sefton and as part of a wider LCR approach to improve performance and environmental impacts as well as driving down costs; legislative changes introduced by DEFRA which made it mandatory for councils, from April 2026, to provide a kerbside food waste collection on a weekly basis and additional requirements to collect a wider range of recyclate; and the LCR Strategic Waste and Resources Partnership, which aimed to harness the benefits of working collectively and that Sefton was one of 7 partners in the Partnership, comprising the 6 LCR Local Authorities and MRWA.

The report provided information on the Sefton specific Corporate Transformation Project within the Waste Management Service, the purpose of which was to review current resource utilisation such as vehicles and staff to ensure well balanced and efficient schedule creation and that rounds would also be developed with sufficient capacity for any pre-approved housebuilding sites within the Borough that were due to commence over the next 3 year period; indicated that wherever possible, standardised collection arrangements would be implemented boroughwide but that in the future, any location that required a bespoke collection arrangement / presentation point would be assessed on a case-by-case basis; that Sefton had recently appointed a Waste Minimisation Officer and detailed the main duties of the post; and the corporate risks associated with the procurement of products (food caddies and vehicles) in a saturated market as all local authorities that didn’t currently offer a food waste collection service would be undertaking the same steps.

The report concluded that there was considerable change on the horizon for residents across the Borough; that significant engagement and communications would be delivered timely and through a variety of forums to ensure a wide reach; and that all partners and stakeholders would have a role to play in disseminating information and promoting consistent messaging as Sefton prepared for change.

Members of the Committee asked questions/commented on the following issues:

·       communication to residents concerning what currently can and cannot be recycled in Merseyside

·       the introduction of food waste collections for properties requiring bespoke collections

·       collection crews access to bespoke collection data

·       reduced collection service over the Christmas period

·       the introduction of a waste minimisation officer

·       Members opportunity to update residents while litter picking and operating community skip schemes

RESOLVED: That