Issue - meetings

To consider the report of the Director of Environment and Neighbourhoods seeking to secure approval to the principles to be adopted for the next phase of implementation of the Council’s recycling collection strategy. In summary, the report presents the progress made against the existing recycling strategy, highlights the extent to which current, planned initiatives will contribute towards recycling performance, details the Council’s medium and long-term targets for recycling and outlines the strategy which will enable the Council to move towards achievement of its medium-term and longer-term goals.

Further to Minute No. 123, 2^nd November 2011, the Director of Environment and Neighbourhoods submitted a report outlining proposals regarding the next phase of implementation for the Council’s recycling collection strategy. In summary, the report presented the progress made against the existing recycling strategy, highlighted the extent to which current, planned initiatives would contribute towards recycling performance, detailed the Council’s medium and long-term targets for recycling and outlined the strategy which would enable the Council to move towards achievement of its medium-term and longer-term goals. In determining this matter, the Board took into consideration all matters contained within the accompanying report.

The Board considered and received assurances in respect of a number of issues and implications arising from the proposals, including the need to tailor services to meet the differing demands of households, the capacity of the black bins, the need for services to adapt to any missed collections, issues regarding food waste collection, the potential use of neighbouring authorities’ sorting sites, the winter cessation of garden waste collection, the financial implications arising from the proposals and the possibility of expanding the recyclable waste collection to include materials such as glass.

RESOLVED –

(a)  That the contents of the submitted report be noted and that the vision and key principles of the Integrated Waste Strategy for Leeds be reaffirmed.

(b)  That the proposed increases to the Council’s household waste recycling target to 55% by 2016, with a long-term target to exceed 60% be approved.

(c)  That the proposed expansion of the Rothwell recycling collection service by up to 6,000 properties in 2012/13 be approved, which includes an injection into the Capital Programme of £27,000 for the purchase of food waste bins, and necessary authority to spend this amount.

(d)  That the proposal to implement a pilot of fortnightly collections of recycling and residual waste during 2012/13 be approved.

(e)  That the aim to roll-out of food waste collections to suitable properties city-wide, with the speed of roll-out in line with resource availability be reaffirmed.

(f)  That the need to procure a treatment solution for food waste alongside the city-wide roll-out of food waste collections be noted, together with the intention to undertake a technical options appraisal with a view to promoting the delivery of an anaerobic digestion solution for Leeds, should this represent the best value for money and environmental option.

(g)  That officers’ intentions to seek further Member approvals regarding specific collection service roll-out plans be noted.

(Under the provisions of Council Procedure Rule 16.5, Councillor A Carter required it to be recorded that he voted against the decisions taken above)