Presentation
Minutes:
A presentation was given to the Committee on waste-related stories that have been in the media.
It was reported that there are fears over new Chinese import restrictions following an announcement from China’s ministry of environmental protection that there will be a crack down on materials imported for recycling as part of the National Sword operation and inspection regime. It has been suggested that a maximum contamination rate of 0.3% will be set on all imports to China by the end of the year. This means that metal exporters could face tighter controls on both ferrous and non-ferrous loads that may also include rubber or plastic materials, and exporters of plastics could see a complete ban on some materials which may lead to a short-term glut of plastics in the UK. It was noted that the biggest impact could be on waste paper as China is an important market for many UK paper recyclers, with 3.6 million tonnes exported there last year.
It was noted that the Environment Agency has announced that England has only 6.8 years of non-hazardous landfill life. Data from permitted waste management operators in England shows a steady increase in waste treatment capacity, alongside a decrease in landfill capacity. It was reported that in 2016 England managed 203 million tonnes of waste, of which 44.7 million tonnes was landfilled. Regionally, the East of England landfilled the most, 10 million tonnes, and London the least at 2.3 million tonnes. Committee was advised that the partnership has seen none of its residual contract waste sent to landfill since 2015.
Committee recalled that Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority was seeking to exit its twenty-five year, £3.2 billion PFI contract with Viridor Laing, affecting nine councils across the Greater Manchester area. It has now been confirmed that this will take place from 29 September 2017. The Authority stated that constraints within the new EU Procurement Regulations meant that the savings identified could not be taken forward through the existing contractual arrangements, it also cited ‘technical and operational challenges’ within the contract. It was noted that interim arrangements have been agreed to enable the Authority to continue providing recycling and waste processing services whilst new services are procured, therefore collections will continue as normal.
It was reported that the Scottish First Minister intends to commit the country to implementing a deposit return scheme (DRS) for plastic drinks bottles. Zero Waste Scotland has been investigating design options and the associated costs and benefits of how a DRS could operate in Scotland. However, the Packaging Recycling Group Scotland has publically opposed the scheme and recommended alternative proposals that promote recycling instead. Other associations have suggested that a DRS would be too burdensome for customers and small shops.
The Committee was advised of an article that was published in the Daily Mail online which made a number of claims regarding CCTV cameras mounted on refuse collection vehicles and what councils are doing to reduce recycling contamination. A number of statements were included in the article about bin men being told to rifle through rubbish and file reports. The article also stated that CCTV is used to catch people out and record infringements carrying £60 fine, with threats of fines of £20,000 for leaving the bins out too long. Committee was reminded of the costs and impact of non-target or offensive materials within recycling loads and the ongoing communication activities the partnership delivers to improve the quantity and quality of materials residents present for recycling. It was highlighted that CCTV is installed on refuse collection vehicles in both Gateshead and Sunderland to help improve health and safety and to support investigations into complaints or service requests for missed bins, as well as providing evidence against malicious or fraudulent claims against the council. It was also highlighted that the cameras are positioned to only record images in the immediate vicinity of the vehicle and do not show a broad view of the location, so no cameras are directly intrusive of private premises.
It was reported that Tesco has recently announced that single-use carrier bags will be replaced by a new ‘Bag for Life’ that is made from 94% recycled plastic. The bags will cost 10p with the sales continuing to fund community projects through the existing Bags for Help scheme, which has already provided more than £33 million to over 6,400 community projects since its 2015 launch. It was noted that this follows a successful 10 week trial in Aberdeen, Dundee and Norwich where sales of bags reduced by 25%. It was acknowledged that although Tesco now sells 1.5 billion fewer single-use plastic bags since the carrier bag charge was introduced it still sells over 700 million each year. It was also noted that online customers will still be able to opt for a single use carrier bag for their shopping, however 57% already opt for bag-less delivery. Tesco has also announced withdrawal of the single-use wine carriers, however it is lowering the price of bottle bags from £1 to 40p.
RESOLVED - That the Joint Executive Committee noted the information
presented.