Agenda item

Officer: Steve Iles

Key decision: no

The Leader of the Council delegated to the Cabinet the power to make the decisions set out below.

RESOLVED to

1. Note the forthcoming changes associated with the collections service as part of the SLWP Lot 1 Contract which will be introduced in Croydon from September 2018.

2. Note the benefits associated with the new contract which include improved service standards for both street cleansing and waste collection.

3. Note the progress to date for the Don’t Mess with Croydon Campaign

The Cabinet Member for Clean Green Croydon informed Members that the South London Waste Partnership was a partnership of four boroughs which sought to work together to get a synergy of services and be more efficient.

A change in the street cleaning service was introduced in March 2018, which included the capital investment for street vacuums. Members were informed that the service was being monitored more closely by Croydon than by other boroughs, and that it had been found that the results had been mixed. The Cabinet Member stated that it had been raised with the Partnership that a forum should be created so concerns could be raised in regards to Veolia’s performance.

The Cabinet Member stated that changes to the waste contract was a bold move by the council to reduce the amount of landfill waste. The boxes for recycling had been unpopular and spillages had occurred on windy days, which Veolia was expected to clear, and the new service sought to remove the boxes.

Whilst it was noted that a number of residents had raised concerns regarding the new bins, the Cabinet Member for Clean Green Croydon stated that the additional space required was 22 x 5 inches and is expected that properties which could fit the new bins would be expected to take them as it would not be possible to have a bespoke system for each property.

It was felt that residents would become accustomed to having three wheelie bins, however if they had concerns they could contact the council through the dedicated email address or phone number. Additional roadshows had been arranged to enable residents to raise concerns with the council, however the Cabinet Member requested residents and Members worked with the council to achieve the greater recycling rates as councils which had introduced the new service had seen major increases in recycling rates. The rise in recycling not only led to savings from landfill taxes but also made a step towards helping the planet.

The Cabinet Member assured Members that any assisted collections would continue with the new service and officers would be monitoring the behaviour of operatives if there were concerns.

Members noted that there were some residents who did not recycle, and the contract was required to flag these properties. The residents would be written to, given advice and if required enforcement officers would engage with the residents.

The Leader noted that the new service was a huge step towards becoming London’s greenest borough and that lessons had been learnt from other councils’ mistakes.

In response to Member questions the Cabinet Member informed Members that it would have been necessary to make a capital investment into bins due to the new contract and that the savings associated with the contract would be realised.

The Cabinet Member stated that there was no intention to cut street cleaning, however with the wheelie bins it was anticipated there would be fewer spillages. The change in bin sizes had been found by industry experts to encourage people to think about their waste, and so smaller landfill bins would encourage greater recycling.

In response to Member questions it was noted that some residents had raised concerns, it would not be possible to run a bespoke service as it would not enable the savings to be realised due to a lack of synergy. As such there would not be an option to opt out of the service as it was being rolled out across the borough. Officers however would consider the logistics of the house and whether there was space for the new bins.

The Cabinet Member called on all Members to work together to deliver the service successfully and to realise the potential for greater recycling rates within the borough.

The Leader of the Council delegated to the Cabinet the power to make the decisions set out below.

RESOLVED to

1. Note the forthcoming changes associated with the collections service as part of the SLWP Lot 1 Contract which will be introduced in Croydon from September 2018.

2. Note the benefits associated with the new contract which include improved service standards for both street cleansing and waste collection.

3. Note the progress to date for the Don’t Mess with Croydon Campaign