Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Alastair Adams.

In relation to agenda item 5 Waste Management Service Contract:

•   Councillor Marshall declared that she was a Member of the Carbon Reduction and Biodiversity Member Advisory Group (CRBMAG) and the Worcestershire Waste Task and Finish Group (WWT&FG).

•   Councillor Stokes declared that she was a Member of the Worcestershire Waste Task and Finish Group.

Members of the public wishing to take part should notify the Assistant Director for Legal and Governance in writing or by e-mail indicating both the nature and content of their proposed participation no later than 9.00am on the working day before the meeting (in this case 7 November 2022). Further details are available on the Council’s website.  Enquiries can also be made through the telephone number/e-mail address listed in this agenda and on the website.

None.

Previously circulated.

The Minutes of the meeting held on the 7 October 2022 were agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

(Indicative timing: 10:05 – 10.30am)

The Panel received a report which set out the background to the current Waste Services Management Contract. The Assistant Director for Economy, Major Projects and Waste (EMPW) advised that an extension to the Contract was currently being finalised, following which a detailed report would be brought to the Panel.

The Waste Services Manager explained that the report set out the history of the contract, including the variations which had been incorporated over time to encompass changes in legislation. The 25-year contract had commenced in 1998, and the proposed 5-year extension would extend the contract to January 2029. The Panel was informed that the contract covered the Council’s role as a Waste Disposal Authority (WDA) and that it was an integrated contract with one contractor covering all the services. As a WDA the Council had two key roles, firstly to ensure the disposal of recycling and recovering value from the waste collected by the waste collection authorities in Worcestershire and Herefordshire; and secondly to manage the household waste sites across the two counties.

Members were invited to ask questions and the following main points were raised:

·       It was confirmed that Herefordshire Council was still fully engaged in the process and would continue to be part of the contract for the extended period. There would be some variations included as part of the contract to accommodate some recent changes that Herefordshire had agreed to implement as part of their collection arrangements. The Panel was informed of the revised disposal arrangements for Herefordshire Council waste which would include food waste being sent directly to the anaerobic digester and untreated paper products being handled in a separate location in the transfer station, to then be sent directly to a processor.

·       The Assistant Director (EMPW) advised that when the contract extension was agreed, there would time for Officers to plan for what might follow in 2029 and for the team to quickly focus on this new priority.

·       Members referred to examples of ideas for using the excess heat and carbon from the EnviRecover plant to create new revenue streams. The Panel was advised that a working group consisting of representatives of the Contractor, the Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership (WLEP) and the Sustainability team were currently looking at options on this. Sources of financial support to enable options to be explored were also being actively sought, with one recent application to the Heat Network Distribution Unit proving unsuccessful.

·       In response to a question, the Waste Services Manager confirmed that historically, it had been necessary to divert some of the residual waste for disposal to an out of county facility in Coventry for a limited time, although most of the waste had still continued to be disposed of at the Hill and Moor site. In current times, specialist recycling facilities located outside of the county continued to be used where processing was not available within county.

·       It was confirmed that odour control monitoring was covered in the contract. Any odour control issues either came under the environmental  ...  view the full minutes text for item 20.

(Indicative timing: 10.30 – 11.05am)

The Panel received a report which set out an update on developments relating to the Council’s Net Zero Plan.

The CMR advised that since taking on the Cabinet Member role, and having reviewed the situation, he had instigated a shift in emphasis on the Plan. Cabinet colleagues had agreed that the pace of the progression of the Council’s Net Zero Plan should be slowed down in order to ensure that it was more robust and effective. Time should be allowed for wider engagement with a range of groups including members, customers and District Councils as well as ensuring the involvement of the CRBMAG. The CMR wanted to ensure that the focus on carbon reduction and biodiversity initiatives was embedded within the Directorates and that they identified improvements that could be made in their area to bring value to the Plan.

The Sustainability Manager provided an overview of the report drawing attention to the following key issues:

·         There had been an overall reduction in net emissions of 47% since the baseline year of 2009/10, which had been achieved through key measures in the Net Zero Plan including, investment in energy efficiency and renewable energy on the Council’s estate, an increase in remote working, and by far the largest proportion resulting from the move from landfill of household waste to disposal through the Energy to Waste facility, EnviRecover.

·        The Council reported emissions under 3 scopes, only two of which it had direct control over.  With the Council procuring green electricity for its buildings and street lighting, the Panel was informed that this enabled it to offset virtually all emissions associated with electricity use.

·        The Council worked with the Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership (WLEP) to develop its Energy Strategy and had since provided support for the Energy Strategy Steering Group and monitored progress. The Council had also developed and managed a range of projects to support the strategy including European Union (EU) funded business support programmes providing advice and grants across a range of areas, such as improving energy and water efficiency and generating renewable energy. Post EU, the Council has also been active in developing support programmes via the Community Renewal Fund, such as Zero Carbon Ready Worcestershire.

·        Progress against the Energy Strategy targets showed that the county was in line to halve its emissions by 2030 and that 13% of the county’s electricity demand was now generated from renewable sources, an increase of 8% since 2015.

Members asked a range of questions, to which the following responses were provided:

·        A Member asked for baseline information to compare the data provided in the absolute carbon emission chart in the report. The Sustainability Manager confirmed that detail would be provided within the Net Zero Plan. It was noted that the percentage for household waste disposal had slightly increased recently as a result of an increase in the number of households in the county, and also because some of the other areas on the chart had recently reduced, resulting in the percentages being altered.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 21.

(Indicative timing: 11.05 – 11.45am)

The Lead Analyst (Performance) updated the Panel on areas of success and challenge within the Quarter 2 performance data. Members were invited to ask questions and the following main points were made:

·       Explanation was provided in respect of the clarifications on the pothole defect reports and the increase in 28-day clarifications. The high number for October was largely due to weather conditions and also the impact of staff leave.

·       In terms of the outstanding public enquiries (PEMs), the Assistant Director for Highways and Transport Operations (HTO) advised that there would always be a residual number of outstanding PEMs which related to ‘live’ issues. These were only closed when the category had been completed.

·       In response to a query regarding response rates to street lighting queries, the Assistant Director (HTO) explained that work towards linking the Mayrise software system to the member portal was under way, which would reduce the timeframe for responses. In addition, the owners of streetlighting assets were being established which would also improve the efficiency of the process.

·       The Lead Analyst confirmed that the waste collected across Worcestershire in 2020/21, was 473.3 kg per head of the county’s population and that 91.62% of that waste had been diverted from landfill, as shown on the latest DEFRA data summary.

·       The Assistant Director (HTO) agreed to check whether a green gas emission forecast was available yet for this year.

·       In terms of street lighting, the Assistant Director (HTO) confirmed that all light-emitting diode (LED) lighting would be rolled out by June 2023. The Panel would be advised of the forecasted energy consumption when the rollout was complete following the meeting.

·       A Member highlighted the 0.1% figure for ‘reuse’ in the graphs on the disposal method table for 2021/22. The Assistant Director (EMPW) explained that it was difficult to capture reuse as this data only measured household waste services. Reuse referred to items which were repaired, if necessary, and used for their original purpose.

·       Members queried whether the Council could do more to educate the public and promote the specialist recycling facilities available across the county which were external to the Council. The Assistant Director (EMPW) agreed to consider what could be done to promote the wide range of recycling opportunities in the county.

(Indicative timing: 11.45 – 11.50am)

The Panel received the latest version of the 2022/23 work programme.

It was agreed that:

·        The Waste Management Service contract would be added to the work programme, with a date to be determined.

·        It was suggested that there should be an update on the Net Zero Plan every 6 months. It was agreed that the Chairman would be asked to give this consideration in liaison with the Officers and determine whether this was appropriate.