Decision - Waste Management Strategy Review

To seek Cabinet approval to review and update the Municipal Waste Strategy which was agreed by Cabinet in March 2010.

141.1    Councillor West introduced the report which outlined the revised waste management strategy and the intention to put it out for consultation before being brought back to Cabinet for final approval.  He noted that recycling rates were falling and that the revised strategy had ambitious targets to be met by 2025.  He also wished to thank the officers involved for their work in preparing the revised strategy.

141.2    The Chair noted that he had attended a recent meeting of the SE7 Procurement Group at which Kent County Council had submitted a paper on waste management being regarded as a resource which was a different way of approaching the matter and recommended it to officers.

141.3    Councillor Mitchell welcomed the report and the opportunities to work with the private sector on a number of matters.  She felt that whilst some of the targets were ambitious they were achievable and hoped that they could be supported.  She also queried paragraph 3.15 third and forth bullet points and the findings at paragraph 3.19 of the report.

141.4    Councillor West stated that there was only so much waste that people wanted to store in their own gardens and the proposed collection was another strand to that and would be trailed in areas where collections could be made easily.

141.5    Councillor Janio expressed concern over the findings at paragraphs 3.9 and 3.13 and questioned whether the recycling of waste in suburban areas would be beneficial.  He also argued that the lifecycle analysis could not be justified and questioned the expenditure of half a million.

141.6    Councillor J. Kitcat noted that the £0.5m was one-off funding and that it was hoped the recycling and composting would make a difference, with the dry recycling providing more energy.

141.7    RESOLVED:

(1)         That permission to consult on the revised Municipal Waste Strategy as set out in Section 4 of the report be granted and that on completion of the consultation the revised strategy be brought back to the Cabinet for approval;

(2)         That the evidence base which has been collated to inform the development of a food waste trial be noted;

(3)         That the submission of a bid for Interreg funding for 505 of the costs of a food waste trial in 2013/14 be approved in principle;

(4)         That it be noted that should funding be required in 2012/13 to meet Interreg timescales for (3) above, a further report identifying sources finance would be brought to Cabinet;

(5)         That it be agreed officers should pursue further potential funding streams for food waste collections, including Interreg funding and Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) funding and that the Strategic Director; Place be given delegated authority to submit funding applications in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Environment & Sustainability and the Cabinet Member for Finance;

(6)         That the ongoing emphasis on waste minimisation, focussing particularly on food waste and continuing to work with the Food Partnership be noted; and

(7)         That the development of a business case for the collection of commercial waste and recycling be approved.