Issue - meetings

This report sets out the Joint Municipal Waste Management Strategy (JMWMS) and seeks endorsement of the strategic direction for the partnership.  This will be supported by a new operational partnership agreement and detailed action plan to take Project Integra (PI) forward, including meeting the requirements of the Environment Bill.

RECOMMENDATION

That Cabinet endorses the principle to move to the “twin-stream” approach to recycling but noting the clear proviso, that no commitment can yet be made to it, until the requirements of the Environment Bill and the associated financial arrangements are made clear, and agreement is reached on any revision to Project Integra with Hampshire County Council.

DECISION

That Cabinet endorsed the principle to move to the “twin-stream” approach to recycling but noting the clear proviso, that no commitment can yet be made to it, until the requirements of the Environment Bill and the associated financial arrangements are made clear, and agreement is reached on any revision to Project Integra with Hampshire County Council.

Cabinet were presented with a report setting out the Joint Municipal Waste Management Strategy (JMWMS) that sought endorsement of the strategic direction for the partnership.  This will be supported by a new operational partnership agreement and detailed action plan to take Project Integra (PI) forward, including meeting the requirements of the Environment Bill.

Members discussed:

•         That the current position is to endorse the principle of the plan and that final approval will come back to Cabinet at a future date.

•         That other authorities in the scheme had either adopted the same position as Hart or had wholly endorsed the plan.

•         “Twin-stream” collections and the difficulties of glass separation using this method. Comments on this would be fed back to the Project Integra team and clarification sought on why the separate collection of glass was rejected as an option.

•         The nature and viability of kerbside sorting.

•         The wide-ranging consultancy process undertaken to draft the plan.

•         The implications of not taking part in Project Integra, and the nature of large-scale collaborative projects with multiple stakeholders.

•         The potential impact of the Government’s Environment Bill.

•         The conveying of comments made at Overview and Scrutiny Committee and at Cabinet to the Project Integra team.

•         The next steps and timelines of the project and the possible implications of having to end current contracts early.

•         The implications of food waste collection requirements.

•         Garden waste collections and the lack of clear financial mitigations at this stage.

The Chairman thanked Officers for being available to answer any questions.

DECISION

That Cabinet endorsed the principle to move to the “twin-stream” approach to recycling but noting the clear proviso, that no commitment can yet be made to it, until the requirements of the Environment Bill and the associated financial arrangements are made clear, and agreement is reached on any revision to Project Integra with Hampshire County Council.