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Report Title:
Update On Changes To Suffolk’s Household Waste Recycling Centre
Service
Report to:
Waveney District Council – Overview & Scrutiny Committee
Date:
19 April 2012
Author(s):
Lisa Chambers, SCC Portfolio Holder for Waste
Steve Palfrey, SCC Head of Waste
1.
PURPOSE
1.1.
This report provides updated information about the closure of Household Waste
Recycling Centres and the local implementation of community recycling centres, to
follow up from a report to the Waveney Overview & Scrutiny Committee on 13 July
2011.
2.
BACKGROUND
2.1.
At its meeting of 13 July 2011, the Waveney District Council Overview & Scrutiny
Committee considered a report and presentation from Lisa Chambers (Portfolio Holder
for Waste), Steve Palfrey (Head of Waste) and Mark Deer (Service Delivery Officer)
from Suffolk County Council.
2.2.
Suffolk County Council had reluctantly decided to close seven of its eighteen
household waste recycling centres: Beccles, Bramford, Brome, Chelmondiston,
Ingham, Newmarket and Southwold, as one of a series of actions to deliver £42 million
savings.
2.3.
Waveney District Council had responded promptly and positively to the proposed site
closures in its area, and at its 23 March 2011 meeting decided “To provide a
supplementary estimate of up to £140,000 from General Fund balances for 2011/12 to
fund the operation of the Household Waste Recycling Centres in Southwold and
Beccles for a period of up to 6 months.” Suffolk County Council had decided to
postpone its withdrawal of funding for the sites until 31 July 2012. The purpose of both
these decisions was to allow sufficient time for new proposals to be developed.
2.4.
At the time of the last meeting, Suffolk County Council was supporting the Town
Councils in both Beccles and Southwold to consider proposals from local companies to
operate community recycling centres in both areas. Similar proposals had also come
forward in Bramford, Brome, Chelmondiston and Newmarket.
2.5.
The issue of most concern expressed by the members of the Overview & Scrutiny
Committee was that the closure of household waste recycling centres would result in a
significant increase in fly-tipping.
3.
COMMUNITY RECYCLING CENTRES – WAVENEY DISTRICT AREA
3.1.
Beccles - Waveney District Council’s decision to fund an extension of the period
before site closures in its area allowed the household waste recycling centre in Beccles
to remain open until 31 October 2011.
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3.2.
After considering a number of proposals, Beccles Town Council selected B&B Skips, a
local commercial waste management company, to develop and operate a “pay as you
throw” facility for the local community, on its own licensed site on the Beccles Business
Park, Ellough. The County and District Councils provided a range of technical support
including legal, procurement and waste management advice.
3.3.
B&B Skips gained planning permission for its recycling centre and developed the site,
adjacent to its existing waste transfer station, in autumn 2011. The community
recycling centre opened on 1 November 2011. The site accepts the full range of
materials that were previously accepted at the household waste recycling centre, and
in addition it also accepts plasterboard and asbestos. Charges for site users start at
£4.00 per car.
3.4.
The County Council will transfer ownership of the land formerly used as the household
waste recycling centre to Beccles Town Council (from whom it came in the 1974
reorganisation), once the site is unoccupied and clear.
3.5.
Southwold – After considering its options, Southwold Town Council agreed to a
proposal from a local commercial waste management company, Sole Bay Recycling, to
operate a “pay as you throw” facility for the local community, on the former household
waste recycling centre site.
3.6.
The community recycling centre opened on 14 August 2011. The Southwold site
operates six days a week and provides all the services that were previously provided at
the household waste recycling centre. The site is being operated by staff from the
adjacent vehicle recycling yard and this has reduced the overheads and helped keep
the site viable. The site charges start at £3.00 per car for non-recyclable waste and
green garden waste. Recyclable waste of a value is accepted free of charge. They are
now also providing a collection service for recyclable materials from commercial
premises to boost income and support the recycling centre operation.
3.7.
Waveney District Council’s decision to fund an extension of the period before site
closures in its area resulted in the household waste recycling centre in Southwold
remaining open an extra week until 7 August 2011.
3.8.
The County Council is in the process of transferring ownership of the land formerly
occupied by the household waste recycling centre to Southwold Town Council (from
whom it came in the 1974 reorganisation), to allow the Town Council to continue to
provide a waste management facility for use by the public.
4.
COMMUNITY RECYCLING CENTRES – THE REST OF SUFFOLK
4.1.
Newmarket – the community recycling centre is run by Newmarket Open Door, a local
charity that provides assisted housing to young people. They generate employment,
collect extra stock for their charity superstores and create work opportunities on the site
itself. They operate at the former county council household waste recycling centre, and
currently accept all the materials that were accepted at the council site previously with
the exception of engine oil. The site charges start at £3.00 per car for non-recyclable
waste and green garden waste. Recyclable waste of a value is accepted free of
charge. They are now also providing a collection service for recyclable materials and
Waste Electronic and Electrical Equipment from commercial premises the income from
which supports the recycling centre operation.
4.2.
Newmarket Open Door’s success has been featured in the Guardian and they have
been shortlisted for a national award as part of the “Let’s Recycle Awards”. They will
find out on the 1 May 2012 if they have won.
4.3.
Brome - the community recycling centre is run by Bolton Bros Ltd, a local commercial
waste management company. They operate at the former county council household
waste recycling centre, opening six days a week and accepting all the waste types that
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were previously accepted at the council site. They charge £6.00 per car for nonrecyclable waste, green waste and wood. All other items are accepted free of charge.
There is a strong community steering group working to ensure that that site is well
promoted and that the public locally are aware of the recycling and waste disposal
options available at the site.
4.4.
Bramford and Chelmondiston – in both areas the parish councils established
community recycling centres at the former household waste recycling centre sites.
Unfortunately site user numbers have been significantly lower then the companies
operating these sites had hoped, resulting in the sites not being viable.
4.5.
The Bramford site closed on the 11 March 2012.
4.6.
The Chelmondiston site will cease to accept general waste and garden waste from 8
May 2012, and the parish council and site operator will continue to provide the site as
an unmanned recycling site open seven days a week. They are also working on
proposals to run “garden waste and general waste disposal days” for the community
periodically.
5.
FLY-TIPPING
5.1.
At the previous meeting, Scrutiny members raised concerns about the potential impact
of household waste recycling centre closures and the introduction of community ‘pay as
you throw’ sites on fly-tipping.
5.2.
District and borough councils are responsible for clearance, and report the number of
fly-tipping incidents that they deal with to the Environment Agency. The monthly fly-tip
statistics for all district and borough councils in Suffolk are given in Appendix A, along
with quarterly figures going back to 2008/09. These figures show there has been no
increase in the number of fly-tips reported by Waveney or the other Suffolk councils
since the household waste recycling centre closures. District officers have also
confirmed anecdotally that fly-tipping has not been an issue as a result of the closures.
6.
CONCLUSIONS AND LESSONS LEARNED
6.1.
As observed at the previous meeting, when local authorities want communities to come
forward with proposals to take on the mantel of Big Society they need time. The
decisive action by Waveney District and Suffolk County Councils allowed this to
happen. The innovation and determination shown by Suffolk’s communities in their
efforts to sustain important services has been very encouraging.
6.2.
Through working with a number of communities to develop local solutions for their
waste and recycling needs it is clear that different solutions work in different localities.
Sites that minimise their cost through co-location with other operations, or through
charity operation seem most sustainable. An unexpected additional benefit observed
at one community meeting is that the introduction of charges for waste at the local site
had made some people think more carefully about their waste and to ensure they
separate out the different materials for recycling.
7.
REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATION
7.1
To comply with a request from the Waveney Overview & Scrutiny Committee for an
update report to be submitted allowing sufficient time for any new arrangements to
become established.
8.
RECOMMENDATION
8.1
That the update report on changes to Suffolk’s Household Waste Recycling Centre
Service be received.
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APPENDICES
Appendix A
Suffolk-wide fly-tipping statistics
Appendix B
Background Information from Waveney District Council regarding fly-tipping
in general and associated maps depicting fly-tipping instances for the period
31 October 2010 to 14 March 2012 – for comparative purposes.
BACKGROUND PAPERS
Date
Type
Various
Information
Suffolk
Available From
regarding
fly-tipping
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across
Suffolk County Council
Waveney District Council
/
Appendix A – Suffolk-wide fly-tipping statistics
Total Number of Reported Fly Tips (Based on financial year)
Babergh and Mid Suffolk Jointly Reported from April 2009
2011/12 Data not yet audited and published by Environment Agency
Authority
Babergh District Council
Forest Heath District Council
Ipswich Borough Council
Mid Suffolk District Council
St Edmundsbury Borough Council
Suffolk Coastal District Council
Waveney District Council
Grand Total
2011/12 Monthly Totals
Forest Heath District Council
Ipswich Borough Council
Mid Suffolk/Babergh District Council
St Edmundsbury Borough Council
Suffolk Coastal District Council
Waveney District Council
2008/09 Q1 2008/09 Q2 2008/09 Q3 2008/09 Q4 2009/10 Q1 2009/10 Q2 2009/10 Q3 2009/10 Q4 2010/11 Q1 2010/11 Q2 2010/11 Q3 2010/11 Q4
124
114
67
89
202
123
164
114
122
136
112
106
84
110
82
123
170
155
144
214
189
225
195
191
210
164
162
159
96
113
103
110
160
199
159
138
138
142
103
197
88
108
81
92
103
81
74
95
77
65
55
80
120
112
104
119
114
159
111
132
135
116
77
92
191
187
152
264
252
205
213
227
252
196
170
258
991
912
815
1002
940
1005
864
889
896
793
649
909
Apr
May
40
46
34
30
18
84
Jun
27
44
34
14
41
95
Jul
46
45
32
24
29
74
Aug
27
46
31
19
25
94
Sep
59
54
34
16
39
76
9
Oct
41
45
26
14
32
55
Nov
45
35
28
14
24
1
Dec
57
36
26
19
36
65
Jan
24
37
20
15
23
60
Feb
29
46
22
32
34
89
30
23
73