Agenda item

Andrew Pau (Strategy and Commissioning Manager (Waste & Environment) presented a PowerPoint to the partnership on performance. He noted that there were unusual circumstances due to Covid-19 in the first financial quarter. Recycling, reusing, composting and energy recovery from waste all increased and waste tonnage decreased. Energy recovery is obtained from burning waste which is better than landfilling waste. Landfilling waste remains the most harmful way of disposing of residual waste. Household waste decreased by 1.5 thousand tonnes. Andrew Pau concluded that performance for the first quarter increased and the accepted waste decreased.

In response to Councillor Ian Shenton, Andrew Pau stated the decrease in landfill rates were most likely caused by Covid-19. The County Council’s landfill rates are usually less than 10%. The council has two energy recovery contracts which are utilised to their fullest as there is a contractual tonnage limit to the waste that can be sent for energy. Landfilled waste in Warwickshire primarily consisted of household waste from the HWRCs which is bulky and cannot be burnt at an Energy from Waste facility as easily.

Councillor Moira-Ann Grainger noted that these figures should be achieved after the pandemic and advertised more.

Councillor John Horner queried the conflict of the declared climate emergency in Warwickshire and burning waste for energy. Andrew Pau replied that generating energy from pre-produced waste is a good option as it would otherwise be landfilled but reducing, reusing, recycling and composting are preferable.

The Chair added that a lot of waste goes to Coventry plant which produces electricity and heat which is then used in nearby student flats, offices and leisure centres. Andrew Pau continued that the Coventry plant is a combined heat and electricity power facility. Councillor Shenton stated as much energy from waste should be obtained as possible. 

Following a query from Councillor Jenny Fradgley, Andrew Pau responded that he didn’t think the facilities the council uses have carbon capture as this is rare in the UK. Combined plants like the Coventry plant are best environmentally. It was agreed that the carbon impact of waste disposal methods would be discussed at the next partnership meeting.

Andrew Pau reminded the partnership that the joint strategy states energy should be obtained from waste and it is cheaper to send waste for energy than to a landfill which produces methane. The county council is a shareholder in the Coventry plant, but they do not get revenue from it.

In response to Councillor Howard Roberts, a very small amount of waste collected by Warwickshire goes to Cemex in Rugby to be ‘ClimaFuel’. Richard Dobbs, Corporate Director – Streetscape at North Warwickshire Borough Council added they are in discussion with the Coventry plant for the new regional MRF to be powered exclusively through solar panels on the roof.

Andrew Pau continued that the performance data for 2020-21 was estimated following the trend during lockdown. Following a query from Councillor Grainger, Andrew Pau stated that he believed there were behavioural changes caused by lockdown which induced the reduction in waste.

Andrew Pau noted that the recycling centres were closed during part of the first quarter (all recycling sites in Warwickshire have since reopened); therefore, their collection statistics were 2% lower than normal. Between April – July 2020 the amount of composting collected via kerbside collection was up by 10%, recycling was up by 12% and residual waste was up by 4%.

Following concerns raised by Councillor Shenton, it was agreed that reviewing recycling targets should be a future agenda item. However, this would be as part of the review of the Warwickshire Waste Strategy.

Andrew Pau added that kilograms per household figure or per person were targets that were only for the waste collected at the kerbside; in this data, the numbers reported included the tonnage of waste collected at the recycling centres. The first round of consultation as part of the government strategy commenced in early 2020 and the second round is expected early next year. The joint municipal waste management strategy will be reviewed after this; this would be the best time to set new recycling targets.The second consultation should be released February-March 2021.

Resolved

The Waste Partnership notes the provisional data for the 1st Quarter 2020/21.