Issue - meetings

Andrew Pau, Strategy and Commissioning Manager (Waste & Environment) for Warwickshire County Council, presented the report and waste data tables. Reusing and recycling rates have increased in the 2019-20-year bracket from the previous year with the current rate being 51.9%; energy recovery had also increased whereas landfill tonnage had decreased. Andrew Pau continued that the current system had been improved and no major changes had occurred.

Following a question from Councillor Keith Kondakor, Glen McCrandle, Head of Waste Transport for Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council, stated that they received positive feedback regarding their composting practices and there is no evidence from the waste facility to suggest that the increase in tonnage was caused by the green bin charges.

Ruth Dixon, Waste Strategy and Commissioning Manager for Warwickshire County Council, added that they hold the statistics for green bin sales and home composting workshop. A composition survey has not been completed since September 2018; therefore, it is unknown what the residual waste consisted of. However, the recycling numbers had decreased because of home composting.

Andrew Pau reminded the committee that the changes in Nuneaton and Bedworth were expected. In response to Councillor Moira-Anne Granger, Andrew Pau stated increases in residual waste was expected with green bin charges, but data provided by Rugby Borough Council showed that this waste was within limits.

Julie Lewis, Head of Community and Operational Services for Stratford-on-Avon District Council informed the committee that at Daventry District Council, a three-weekly residual service was introduced with green waste charges. This led to a decrease in residual waste, an increase in green waste, which increased to 62% in 2019, and an increase in food recycling. This sustained and kept improving over the two years since its implementation.

Andrew Pau reminded the committee that April 2020 was the first full month of lockdown and its tonnage statistics were the most current at the time of the meeting. He confirmed that the recycling residual figures increased between 10-20% in April.

Richard Dobbs, Corporate Director - Streetscape for North Warwickshire Borough Council concurred that recycling increased in lockdown, glass recycling increased from 90 to 240 tonnes in April 2020. However, this had led to capacity issues with collection and processing. Jim Perkins, Interim Waste and Transport Manager for Rugby Borough Council, added that there had been an increase of 10-15% with recycling in Rugby.

Councillor Granger stated that Warwick District also had a large green waste increase, but this levelled out whereas recycling had continued to increase.

Resolved

That the Warwickshire Waste Partnership notes the provisional data for the year 2019/20.