Agenda item

Report of the Democratic Services Officer.

Councillor Lawrence welcomed Mark Hurst, Service Manager Transport and Waste and Mike Hill, Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Finance,  and informed members of the committee that this item would be first on the agenda.

Mark Hurst discussed questions identified in advance of the meeting.

·         Members were informed that bin lids were lifted for contamination and should any be found a sticker placed on the bin requesting that the contamination be removed with a contact number to ring for collection when this had been done. If contamination is further down the bin there is little that can be done.

·         The relationship with Veolia is in its early days for the new management team. Veolia supplied two members of staff to walk in front of the refuse crews in both Ashfield and Mansfield to inspect recycling bins and speak to residents regarding contamination. Limited funding has not enabled this in Gedling.  Gedling Borough  does not have a contractual relationship with Veolia as such, it is a contract arranged and managed by Nottinghamshire County Council and  they have due regard for value for money, new ideas and business continuity.

• Innovative ideas for a more efficient, smarter and effective service include 

o    Use of simple vehicle signage to highlight the removal of contaminates from the recycling bin i.e. food waste, nappies, plastic bags, textiles and glass.

o    Updating policies and procedures for waste collection into one document, which would include the policy for addressing bins on streets.

o    Digitalisation of the service with the introduction of Wi-Fi in the depot, 3G on vehicle cameras to enable live footage to be viewed and the utilisation of electronic forms for vehicle servicing/repairs and taxi inspections.

·         Directions for bin use, bin colours and collection schedules are highlighted on the bin collection calendar; Gedling is constrained by the literature issued by the County Council and Veolia.  Visual displays on the side of vehicles can be of great assistance.

·         The problem of bins left on streets has been a long standing issue.  There have been discussions with neighbourhood wardens following complaints received, from a waste point of view and with PASC due to obstructions for the street sweepers. We are not in a position to enforce or issue any fixed penalties. The wardens do however try and engage with residents where possible to explain the problem. In addition if a problem is reported to customer services a letter is sent out to the resident to try and resolve the problem. 

·         1350 people have signed up for bin collection reminders and residents were informed about National Recycling Week by Facebook.

During discussion the members of the committee raised the following points:

·         Bins in car parks and other areas are causing problems in Netherfield.  Mark Hurst was not aware of this and has agreed to meet Councillor Miller to discuss this problem

·         There is a need for more education about what, and how, to recycle

·         The type of plastic that can be recycled is very confusing.  The new bin calendar should assist with this issue.  Information is also made available through the Contacts magazine, Facebook and Twitter

·         Local authorities have different recycling policies.

RESOLVED to:

·         To thank Mark Hurst for an interesting and informative presentation; and to

·         Note the report.