Report of the Director of Place and Sustainability – to report to the committee on the Council’s plans to introduce fortnightly non-recyclable rubbish collections and consider comments from residents in Area Forum
Minutes:
The Chair asked Councillor Canver – Cabinet member for Environment to give an introduction of proposals.
Councillor Canver commented that the Forum debate/discussion on the proposals had in her view been good in terms of public understanding and concerns. Whilst acknowledging that the proposals would be challenging for some residents there was commitment on the Council’s behalf to increase recycling wherever possible across the whole Borough. Councillor Canver hoped that people would work with the Council and also to express views on the positives and negatives of the proposals. In terms of sizes of bins and physical capacity there would be ways of providing smaller bins etc for people. Councillor Canver hoped that when individuals received notification by letter of the new bin implementation they would contact the Council with their requirements if they desired smaller bins.
The Chair thanked Councillor Canver for her comments and advised that the Lib Dem Ward Councillors from the four wards had carried out their own survey in terms of the proposals and asked that Councillor Jenks comment on the outcome.
Councillor Jenks advised that in terms of the proposals he would MOVE the following resolution:-
‘This Committee is opposed to fortnightly collections until or unless such time as the Council provides clear evidence showing first, that residents support a change to fortnightly collections, and second that they do actually achieve the benefits on which any such proposals are based’
Councillor Jenks commented that it should be made clear that he and the Lib/Dem Group were 100% in favour of increasing recycling rates, and that in the past Lib/Dem Councillors had criticised the Council for its failure to deliver on this. Councillor Jenks advised that whilst the Council might claim that it had consulted on this matter, its 2009 consultation made no mention of fortnightly collection, with the nearest to this was 36% of respondents wanted bigger containers and 17% of respondents believed education to be the key to recycling.
Councillor Jenks reported that in the absence of any proper Council consultation a survey was carried out by Liberal Democrats in wards in the west of Haringey and received 1100 responses with 86% of those responding opposed to fortnightly collection. The rates opposing for wards within this Committee were 86% for Alexandra, and Fortis Green, 85% for Muswell Hill, and 93% for Highgate. 78% of people responding had not been aware about fortnightly collections and 92% of people who responded felt that they should have been consulted.
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Councillor Jenks further stated that at the very least this identified a great deal of unease within the Borough about the fortnightly rubbish collection being imposed. Councillor Jenks commented that the Council argued that fortnightly collection would save money. The saving in operational costs was stated as £300,000 per year, with the Council arguing that a £600,000 per year saving can come about as a result of waste recycled as a result of reduced disposal costs.
Councillor Jenks referred to the Government offer of £250 million to assist local authorities to keep weekly rubbish collections and Haringey Council should be applying for this when the prospectus was published. Also better recycling information on what could/could not be recycled, and better communication education, motivation, and capacity to enable more recycling.
Councillor Jenks concluded that Hackney had just done a trial in one of its wards with orange sacks replacing green boxes, and it was discovered that residents preferred this by a ratio of over three to one and it also increased recycling rates by 27%. LB Haringey could have also discovered alternatives if it had run a pilot and if Haringey had bothered to consult properly they may have thought twice about the size of bins. The standard size was 240 litres so there would be two of these large bins in each front garden. Councillor Jenks advised that he had asked the Council if people could have smaller bins such as 120 litre or180 litre bins if they want them and the answer at the 12th December Overview and Scrutiny Committee from the Cabinet Member for the Environment was “not in the first instance”. One of the self evident facts about rubbish collection was that all residents had different needs, and smaller bins might be ideal for some people.
The Chair thanked Councillor Jenks for his comments and asked if there were further comments.
Councillor Canver commented that it was not appropriate for the MOTION to have been raised at this meeting, but rather at Full Council as the MOTION was wholly political and was not reflective in the least of the vast majority of the comments expressed during the Forum part of the discussion and therefore wholly inappropriate.
A resident who had been present in the Forum part of the proceedings intervened from the floor to comment that in her view the MOTION was not representative of the general view of the Forum and not correct in its sentiment.
Councillor Bloch commented that it was not appropriate for Councillor Canver to make such comments and she should only speak if invited to do so, and asked her not to interrupt the proceedings.
Following a brief exchange of comments between Committee Members and Councillor Canver the Chair asked that Councillor Canver desist from interrupting the proceedings when not asked to speak, and the Committee to concentrate on expressing their specific views, and added that the survey results were on a large scale in terms responses and views expressed.
Councillors Allison and Hare, asked that the wording of the resolution be varied to also seek from the Council that (i) measures are taken to deal with smelly waste, and (ii) clear options on the size of bins are clarified and offered, at the outset.
In clarification to a point raised as to whether it was possible for fish and meat/poultry bones to be recycled Councillor Canver responded that these items could now be recycled.
The Chair drew the discussions to a close and summarised. The MOTION as detailed in the resolution was put to the vote and passed nemine contradicente with the exception of the Chair who did not use her casting vote.
RESOLVED
This Committee is opposed to fortnightly collections until or unless such time as the Council provides clear evidence showing first, that residents support a change to fortnightly collections, and second that they do actually achieve the benefits on which any such proposals are based, and that this resolution also seeks from the Council that (i) measures are taken to deal with smelly waste, and (ii) clear options on the size of bins are clarified and offered, at the outset.
The Chair would write to the Cabinet member forwarding the resolution for her consideration and response.