Agenda and draft minutes

None received

The Chair will consider the admission of any late items of urgent business.  Late items will be considered under the agenda items where they appear.  New items will be dealt with at item 8 below. 

None notified

A member with a personal interest in a matter who attends a meeting of the authority at which the matter is considered must disclose to that meeting the existence and nature of that interest at the commencement of that consideration, or when the interest becomes apparent.

A member with a personal interest in a matter also has a prejudicial interest in that matter if the interest is one which a member of the public with knowledge of the relevant facts would reasonably regard as so significant that it is likely to prejudice the member’s judgement of the public interest.

None notified

To consider the draft terms of reference of the Scrutiny Review of Waste Collection, Recycling and Disposal.

The draft terms of reference were considered by the Panel and revised as follows:

§         To make recommendations for improving the design of the new contract to determine the specification, the range, the provision and the collection methodologies, including benchmarking with other authorities to consider best practice.  To examine questions of environmental benefits and recycling quality and to ensure that the new contract is fit for purpose and provides value for money.

§         To explore new and transferable initiatives including the approach, cost and consultation/communication used by other authorities which are not currently used by Haringey and which may help to inform the delivery of services to meet local needs.

§         To meet the objective of increasing the amount of household waste recycled and composted in Haringey to 35% by 2010, and to increase the amount of household waste recycled and composted in Haringey to 45% by 2015 of which 10% should be composted, taking account of any key issues arising relating to health and safety for the waste management and recycling service. 

§         To investigate the possibilities for increasing business participation in recycling, including through working in partnership and contractual arrangements with local businesses.

§         To consider communication methods aimed at raising awareness and providing advice to businesses and residents on waste minimisation and recycling, and to ensure that education about the environment is taking place for young people in Haringey.

§         To consider ways in which to improve resident satisfaction of Haringey’s waste, recycling and composting services, including by talking to residents and other authorities.

§         To find ways in which to encourage and support residents and businesses in waste minimisation, and in using reused, reclaimed and repaired materials

To receive a presentation from Waste Management Service outlining the background to the current policies and strategies, including the current performance in Haringey.

The Client and Performance Manager gave a presentation to the panel outlining the following:

§         current contract, service levels targets and penalties

§         reasons for reviewing the current contract

§         Possibilities for the future.

Recycling collection services will need to be developed in order to achieve equitable services for all residents providing the opportunity to recycle the full range of materials as conveniently as possible. This service is one of the most high-profile and strategically important services provided by the Council.  The introduction of statutory recycling targets, Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme and the planned tendering of a new waste management contract make it necessary for the council to adopt a strategy for developing recycling collection services in Haringey.

Recycling performance is subject to statutory targets.  In 2005/6 Haringey’s statutory target was to recycle 18% of household waste.  This was exceeded with audited performance of 19.23% recycling for the year.  Further statutory recycling target are set by the Government in the Waste Strategy Review.  Haringey’s current year household recycling target is 25% rising to a stretch Local Area Agreement target of 35% by 2010.  The Council has approved significant additional investment in the current financial plans to enable this target to be achieved.

To inform Members of the Recycling Strategy for Haringey and the options for developing the recycling collection service.

The Cabinet Member for Environment & Conservation stated that the information was an open and honest description of the current position regarding the contract which is due to be reviewed in 2009.

§         Legislative framework

§         Waste policy

§         Requirements for achieving excellence

In addition to legislation, the planning requirements of the waste framework and other directives have led to the production of national waste strategies which are now in place. The strategies are plans which outline how the UK intends to manage the increasing amount of rubbish produced each year. Waste management strategies cover aspects such as the government's vision, time-related targets, the provision of waste data, the role of key organisations, issues relating to specific waste streams (such as hazardous waste), and key principles applicable to developing a system for sustainable waste management, such as the "waste hierarchy". The national strategies are also plans for dealing with waste diverted from landfill as required by the Landfill Directive and therefore include recycling, composting and recovery targets for different types of waste.  The aim is to divert increasing volumes of biodegradable municipal waste away from landfill and move the treatment of waste up the waste hierarchy (Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle) to improve the sustainability of waste management.

-          House of Commons: Communities & Local Government Committee Fifth Report – Refuse Collection.

-          Waste Strategy for England 2007.

-          Schedule 7 & 8 of the current contract.