Agenda item

To consider a report from the Head of Scrutiny and Member Development presenting evidence as part of the Board’s inquiry into Recycling.

Further to Minute No. 84 of the meeting held on 11^th January 2010, the Head of Scrutiny and Member Development submitted a report which presented evidence in line with session three of the Board’s inquiry into Recycling.

The purpose of the session was to consider the following issues:

• The relationship between Environment and Neighbourhoods and City Development to ensure that future recycling service proposals were reflected in planning policy and guidance.
• The role of the Council in ensuring that developers were making adequate provision for recycling within their planning proposals.

The following information was appended to the report:

Appendix 1 – Report from the Director of City Development on recycling which included an extract from the (currently draft) Sustainable Design and Construction Supplementary Planning Document

Appendix 2 – Briefing Paper from WRAG on Waste Planning, Recycling and Regional Structures.

The Chair welcomed to the meeting Councillor Monaghan, Executive Member (Environmental Services) and the following officers and representatives:

-  Andrew Mason, Chief Environmental Services Officer

-  Susan Upton, Head of Waste Management

-  David Feeney, Head of Forward Planning and Implementation

-  Martin Sellens, Head of Planning Services

-  Tim Godson, Team Leader – Climate Change, Government Office for Yorkshire and the Humber (and representing the Waste Regional Advisory Group (WRAG)).

In brief summary, the main areas of discussion were:

• Whether developers were making sufficient provision for recycling.
• Planning policy context, particularly adopted planning policies which provided a strategic context to waste management, e.g. Sustainable Design and Construction (SPD) and the Local Development Framework (LDF).
• Concern of some developers in meeting increasing expectations around affordable housing, sustainability and waste management requirements.
• Levels of recycling dependant on scale of development – waste management was one of many factors as part of planning development.
• Concern that recycling and waste management appeared to be less of a priority in small scale developments.
• The need to establish local targets in relation to construction, demolition and excavation and commercial and industrial waste streams.  (The Head of Waste Management advised that targets were the responsibility of the Environment Agency.  Local requirements could be addressed as part of the Council’s procurement process.)
• Work being undertaken as part of the Site Waste Management Plan which sought to minimise the movement of waste off-site.
• Recycling pilot. (The Executive Member (Environmental Services) reported on a recycling pilot involving 8,000 properties in Rothwell.)
• Future proposals for rolling-out the trial in more diverse parts of Leeds.
• Offering incentives, e.g. reward schemes for people who recycled the most waste.
• The need for greater education and awareness around reducing packaging.
• Issues relating to communal waste storage, particularly at multi-storey developments and the need to make recycling facilities more accessible.
• Clarification about the cost of recycling (The Chief Environmental Services Officer agreed to provide the Scrutiny Board with further information regarding the results of the fortnightly SORT collection pilot.)
• Review of waste transfer sites in Leeds.  (The Executive Member (Environmental Services) advised that a report was being submitted to the Executive Board in March.)
• The need for further work around education and awareness in primary schools.  (The Head of Waste Management advised that the Education Awareness Team was undertaking work with Education Leeds.  It was agreed to provide further information to the Scrutiny Board about the types of work that had been undertaken.)
• Recycling Improvement Plans, specifically addressing areas without recycling facilities and areas in need of improvement.
• The role of the Waste Regional Advisory Group (WRAG).  Key points highlighted were as follows:

-  The need for local authorities to share good practice

-  Ongoing work as part of the ‘love food hate waste’ programme.  Education and waste prevention the next big project

-  Joint working with DEFRA aimed at reducing the amount of commercial waste and packaging.

RESOLVED – That the issues raised at the third session of the inquiry, be noted.

(Councillor Rafique arrived at 10.02 am, Councillors A Blackburn and Hollingsworth at 10.04 am and Councillor G Hyde at 10.17 am, during the consideration of this item.)

(Councillor Castle left the meeting at 10.58 am during the consideration of this item.)