Agenda item

*RESOLVED –

The Environmental Services Manager submitted a report to advise Members of the arising implications to the Council and its customers of the changes to recycling legislation and to explain the background rationale of, and to seek approval for, the proposed response to this changing legislation affecting commercial waste.

The Environmental Services Manager advised that from January 2015 The Revised Waste Framework Directive requires, anyone collecting waste to set up separate collections of paper, plastic, metal and glass for both household and commercial waste. These materials must be collected separately unless it is not technically, environmentally or economically practicable (TEEP) to do so.

In October 2012 discussions with Veolia about how a trial commercial recycling collection could be implemented resulted in a six month trial of them providing collections from selected commercial properties free of charge. Veolia hoped that the income from the weight of material collected would offset the cost of providing the collections. However in August 2014 Veolia advised that they were not able to continue the free collections because the trial arrangements were causing them to make a significant loss. The Environmental Services Manager reported that since the trial recyclables collection ceased, discussions had taken place with Veoila regarding the cost of setting up a recycling collection service which would be available to all commercial customers.

The report outlined the various options available to the Council which had been considered and evaluated with regard to meeting the challenges created by the changes to recycling legislation.

The Environmental Services Manager noted that market value for recyclables had decreased and this made offering a commercial recycling service within current contracts difficult. The situation will however be kept under review, and consideration will be given to the introduction of a commercial recycling service if future circumstances allow and also when service is re-tendered in the autumn of 2018.

*RESOLVED –

REASONS FOR DECISIONS

To contribute to improving the Council’s overall financial position and reduce the overall cost of the waste and recycling service by continuing a viable and profitable commercial waste service.