Minutes:
Ruth Dixon presented a PowerPoint and summarised:
· The information was a follow up to further support the previous waste composition data reported to the partnership in June
· Residual waste bins should only contain non-recyclable materials like nappies, pet waste, certain plastics etc. In 2018 and 2022 non-recyclable waste made up 30% of the residual waste bin and the rest could have been recycled using the other bins, the HWRCs or the plastic film recycling at supermarkets
· The new separate food waste in Stratford and Warwick Districts should help reduce the amount of food waste in residual bins
· There was a decrease in garden waste going into residual bins
· Paper, cardboard and plastics were the most common kerbside recyclables that were in residual bins.
· Rubble, textiles and wood were the most common HWRC recyclables that were in residual bins. People needed to be educated to not put these materials in residual bins where possible
· Another composition survey will be done in 2023 to see if the service changes had an impact e.g. with food in residual waste
· Regarding garden waste bins, a couple of them in 2018 were primarily soil/turf which affected the results
· There was a lot less soil/turf in 2022.
· There was more food waste. This is better than food waste going into the general waste, but indicated an increase of food waste overall. Communication work was planned to get people to reduce their food waste
· Herbivorous pet bedding increased in garden waste bins
· Newspaper liners were expected in green bins because this was how some people wrapped their food waste
· There was less contamination in the 2022 green waste composition than in 2018
Richard Dobbs stated that the new MRF would be able to recycle plastic film when it opens in 12 months. Ruth Dixon added that plastic film should be recyclable everywhere in five to seven years.
In response to Councillor Bell, Ruth Dixon stated that since they installed the booking system, they better understood the capacity of the HWRCs. It costs less to send general waste collected at the kerbside to waste to energy than it does to landfill the HWRC general waste, and it is also potentially less environmentally harmful.
Councillor Katheryn Lawrence noted that more people were ordering home delivery since Covid-19 and less people had cars to take waste to HWRCs. Ruth Dixon noted that cardboard was always collected kerbside, and more companies were moving away from non-recyclable materials. HWRCs do not require someone to book a slot if they are cycling there, but they did need to be notified if someone was arriving on foot.
Following a supplementary from Councillor Grainger, Ruth Dixon clarified that if someone arrived at a HWRC on foot then the staff would take their waste from them but they need to be notified in advance. Princes Drive is the busiest site, with the approach road shared with HGVs and food waste lorries.
In response to Claire Preston, Andrew Pau stated that the booking system was kept following surveys which showed that HWRC customers liked it. It was good at stopping residents queuing. DEFRA requested evidence of booking systems successes and they should make a final decision on them by the next financial years at the latest. The Chair noted that it needed to be monitored in case there were any financial implications.
In response to Councillor Sue Markham, the Chair confirmed that residents can book to go to the HWRCs as many times as they wanted.