Agenda and draft minutes

To receive, and confirm as being a correct record, the minutes of the meeting of the Joint Waste Collection Services Committee held on 14 December 2023.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of the Joint Waste Collection Services Committee held on 14 December 2023 be approved as being a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

The Chair raised that the group had not been sent the Amey Improvement Plan but Amey’s Account Manager confirmed that it would be presented at this meeting and had been presented at February’s Board meeting. 

The Chair highlighted that Surrey County Council’s contribution to Joint Waste Solutions (JWS) would decrease by £100,000 instead of the £300,000 proposed originally. JWS wanted clarification that this £100,000 saving was still to be confirmed and there was a meeting planned for the following week to discuss this and SEP funding.

Members are asked to declare any Disclosable Pecuniary Interests in respect of any matters to be considered at this meeting.

There were no declarations of interest.

To consider a report summarising the performance in respect of waste and recycling collections at the end of the third quarter of the 2023/24 financial year.

The Committee received a report summarising the performance in respect of waste and recycling collections at the end of the third quarter of the 2023/24 financial year.

The table shows the comparison between rolling tonnage up to December 2023 and up to December 2022:

*Garden waste excludes CRC for individual authorities

The figure for Mole Valley’s residual will be investigated further to determine why this number was recorded.

The group questioned whether recycling levels had plateaued. It was clarified by JWS that nationally, recycling levels had plateaued too and this was not specific to Surrey. 

Missed collections will continue to be closely monitored as the figures are below target.

The Committee wanted to know details about future plans to increase recycling and the next steps. It was confirmed that along with Surrey Environmental Partnership (SEP) 2025, an annual review was planned to capture updated policies. This review is expected in a month’s time.

It was highlighted that there was 20-30,000 properties across Surrey that still do not have food waste recycling, and this was aimed to be reduced before March 2026. Food waste recycling in flats was acknowledged as being more difficult to roll out than other properties and this will continue to be monitored.

JWS confirmed that it would provide a summary of how Surrey compares nationally to other authorities in relation to the recently published DEFRA figures.

JWS agreed to meet internally to discuss how the statistics and figures in the reports were currently displayed, and if this could be simplified or broken down further.

The Committee noted the report. 

The Committee received a presentation on the progress made by Amey towards

achieving the aims, priorities and objectives set out in the contract Improvement Plan 2024/25.

It was reported that in Elmbridge there were service disruptions between Christmas and New Year which delayed multiple rounds and led to an increase in reported missed collections.

Mole Valley continued to have high staff turnover and was using 30% agency staff. Surrey Heath and Woking had stable services with minimal disruption.

It was reported that the Business Continuity Plan is still to be tested with the main risks currently being weather incidents.

The group discussed vehicle outages and that Mole Valley had a vehicle out of service due to a motorist overtaking and damaging it.

Amey highlighted the Employee Assistance Programme, Occupational Health Surveillance and the Aviva GP+ app.

Work was ongoing to utilise and manage the WhiteSpace system, IT provisions and In-Cab devices to improve areas data collection and response times and capture and respond more efficiently to missed bin collections.

The Committee queried street cleaning and that leaf litter was still not being adequately cleared on some roads.

The Committee raised concerns about the Garden Waste subscription renewal process and that this was still not as smooth as it would like.

JWS agreed to look at the Garden Waste Renewal forms and review the wording used. It was also highlighted that direct debit is still not available on the WhiteSpace platform and this needed to be resolved.

To receive a report summarising the position for Joint Waste Solutions as at quarter three and the projected outturn for the 2023-24 financial year.

The Committee received a report summarising the financial position of JWS at the end of the third quarter of the2023/24 financial year.

It was reported that the Contract Management Office (CMO) year-end expenditure was projected to be £2,634,998, which when set against a combined annual budget and carry forward allocation of £2,642,190, represented an overall projected underspend for the year of £7,192.

The salaries budget projected a £26,000 overspend which is primarily due to having to pay a fixed pension charge due to an accounting anomaly.

Expenditure against the Team budget is projected to be £26,630 lower than budgeted. This is mainly from reduced spending on training and travel budgets. Expenditure on parking has also greatly reduced because working from home has cut down the number of parking spaces needed at Dukes Court.

The Committee questioned if the underspends were carried forward to the next year and it was confirmed that the individual authorities decided what would happen to them.

To receive a report summarising the work of Joint Waste Solutions since the Committee’s last meeting.

The Committee received a report on progress with the delivery of the joint contract work programme 2023-24. The report period covered 1 December 2023 to mid-February 2024 and builds upon the last update given to the Joint Waste Collection Service Committee on 14 December 2023.

These included:

·         Dual litter/recycling bins have been placed in Elmbridge and are now in use.

Planning is underway for litter bin replacements in Mole Valley and Surrey Heath.

·         Defra have sent details of the capital funding the joint contract authorities are to receive to deliver food waste recycling to remaining households without a collection service. Joint Waste Solutions (JWS) have prepared a challenge back to Defra on behalf of the joint contract authorities as we believe the amounts to be insufficient.

·         The assisted collections review was successfully completed with nearly 3,000

properties within the joint contract area removed from the list requiring this collection.

·         An awareness campaign as part of the work to improve collections of Waste

Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) launched at the start of February 2024.

·         The bring bank review has been completed with recommendations to increase the capture of textiles and income received to be taken forward.

·         Excellent results have now been confirmed from the food waste recycling rollouts to flats in Mole Valley during August 2023, with post monitoring analysis showing the biggest capture of food waste we have ever had from a rollout.

·         Results from the improvements delivered to recycling bins for 329 flats in Elmbridge, during October 2023 show that there has been a significant reduction in the number of heavily contaminated bins, which will lead to an increase in dry mixed recycling (DMR) that can be collected for onward processing.

·         Food waste interventions designed to increase recycling started going out to an additional 4,000 households in Elmbridge from 11 February 2024.

·         The festive phase of the countywide Own Your Impact (OYI) campaign came to an end in early January 2024 with messaging amplified in the joint contract area. The current phase of the OYI campaign focuses on food waste recycling, which launched on 22 January, and will run until 3 March 2024.

·         As of 18 February 2024, 4,690 residents in the joint contract area have signed up to the Rethink Waste scheme, who are committing to reduce the amount of waste they produce. The first funding round for the schools’ donations element of the scheme closes on 1 March 2024, with 8 of the 17 schools from the joint contract area in with a chance of winning a share of £6,000 of funding.

The Committee questioned if the Dual litter bins were funded by the Shared Prosperity Fund and it was confirmed that they were and JWS was using as many used and repurposed stock as it can.

JWS confirmed that more letters are due to go our regarding the Rethink Waste Scheme and it was hoped that more schools would join.

An update was requested on the new litter bins for Mole Valley and JWS confirmed  ...  view the full minutes text for item 30/JW

To consider a report introducing the draft 2024-25 joint contract work programme, and outline the elements that have been reviewed and amended from 2024-25, for consideration and approval by the Joint Waste Collection Services Committee (JWCSC).

The Committee considered a report setting out Joint Waste Solution’s proposed work

programme for the 2024/25 municipal year.

The eight objectives in the 2024-25 work programme:

1.    Improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the service enabling a better customer experience.

2.    Deliver operational improvements that enable reductions in waste and increase the quantity and quality of recycling or improve the street scene.

3.    Ensure residents are informed about their collection service.

4.    Inspire and encourage residents to prevent, reduce, reuse and recycle.

5.    Manage the joint waste contract to ensure it is compliant, resilient, operating safely, and performing effectively.

6.    Work with partner authorities to ensure the work programme is delivered with

appropriate governance and oversight.

7.    Enhance our ways of working to deliver organisational efficiencies.

8.    Strategic review of the future delivery model for the joint contract including supporting carbon reduction plans.

The Committee questioned bring banks, the possibility of reinstating any in particular areas and that Woking no longer had food and drink carton bring banks.

It was confirmed that Contamination Reduction trials were ongoing.

RESOLVED the draft Joint Waste Solutions proposed work programme for 2024/25 was approved.

NOTE

Councillor Hobbs left the meeting at 1pm.

The next scheduled meeting of the Joint Waste Collection Services

Committee is proposed to take place on Thursday 20 June 2024 at 11.30am.

It is proposed that future meetings of the Joint Waste Collection Services Committee are held at 11.30am on the following dates in the 2024/35 municipal year:

·         Thursday 20 June 2024

·         Thursday 26 September 2024

·         Thursday 12 December 2024

·         Thursday 27 March 2025

It was noted that the next scheduled meeting of the Joint Waste Collection Service Committee would take place on Thursday 20 June 2024.

The Committee discussed holding the meeting at an earlier time as the briefing had now been moved to another day. A 10am suggested start time was proposed and this was to be confirmed via email.

JWS confirmed that it had given notice to Dukes Court and would be vacating in August. Going forward it is looking at a mostly virtual office but hoped to use the partner authority’s premises if needed for larger meetings.