Agenda item

Richard Dobbs (Assistant Director (Streetscape), North Warwickshire Borough Council) introduced the report which provided an update on preparatory work for construction and commissioning of a new MRF.

Richard Dobbs reported that partner councils (Coventry City Council, North Warwickshire Borough Council, Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council, Rugby Borough Council, Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council and Walsall Council) had now entered into a Joint Working Agreement (JWA). He reported that advice had been sought at a pre-planning stage from highways and ecology personnel as well as from Severn Trent Water and that the outlook was promising.

Richard Dobbs stated that a tender evaluation was scheduled and that talks with bidders would take place from late January 2020. He reported that it was a complex project, but good progress was being made which constituted a significant achievement given the number of partners involved.

In response to Councillor Kondakor, Richard Dobbs advised that the impact of the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) consultation was not known but that modelling of different scenarios had been undertaken by technical consultants. It was considered that the outcome of the DRS consultation would not affect the viability of the MRF scheme.

In response to Councillor Shenton, Richard Dobbs stated that the initial target for the MRF to be operational by 2022 had been revised to Spring 2023 and he was hopeful that the project would meet this target. He added that plans had been co-ordinated to ensure that waste materials would be available for processing as soon as the MRF was declared operational, but that alternative arrangements had been identified in case of a delay.

In response to Councillor Shenton, Richard Dobbs reported that the outcome of discussions with potential additional partner authorities would be known by the end of January 2020. He added that headroom for additional partners had been factored into the project plan and that increased participation from local authorities could be absorbed by the MRF’s capacity to receive commercial and industrial waste.

Richard Dobbs reported that it was anticipated that Tamworth Borough Council and Lichfield District Council would soon reach a decision in respect of their involvement in the scheme. He added that investment modelling had been undertaken to consider the outcome of different scenarios, including additional partners and a reduction in single use plastic, and it was determined that the project was on a secure footing.

In response to Councillor Norris, Richard Dobbs advised that the impact of Brexit had been considered. He commented that it was impossible to mitigate all risk, but that detailed planning work had taken place. He added that it was doubtful that waste exports to EU nations would cease, albeit at an increased cost, but that a domestic market existed for most waste products.

In response to Councillor Norris, Richard Dobbs commented that partner authorities would be reliant upon the MRF to dispose of waste irrespective of the impact of Brexit. He added that the DRS was likely to result in an additional supply of mixed plastics for sorting and the new facility would be well placed to accept this waste. He commented that local authority waste was anticipated to increase which underlined the validity of the proposal.

Andrew Pau (Strategy and Commissioning Manager, Waste & Environment) advised that an announcement in respect of the second round of the DRS consultation was expected soon and that a potential implementation date would become clearer as the initiative progressed.