Agenda item

Members gave consideration to a report which sought a decision on the future waste collection methodology for areas of the District currently receiving sack collections.

The report followed a resolution by Prosperous Communities Committee in September 2018 which had tasked officers with reviewing the waste collection methodology in the ten foot areas of Gainsborough, supported by an appointed a task and finish group, and in response to a motion submitted to Full Council.

In presenting the report, Officers outlined the actions which had been undertaken and the methodology used in conducting the review, as set out in Section 2 of the report.

The full outcome of the satisfaction survey had been included at Appendix 1 of the report, with the key findings being highlighted to the Committee, namely: -

*             The majority of respondents were happy with the current sack collections and there was little desire to move to bins and/or fortnightly collections;

*             The majority of respondents were happy with the street scene following collections, however there were concerns that between collections dumping and early presentation took place and it was this that caused concern to residents.

*             Residents had felt strongly that direct action should be taken against offenders

The outcome from Environmental Assessment was also highlighted to Members, with the Committee noting that within a six week period, 11 tonnes of waste from 333 recorded incidents had been collected.

As a result of the other work undertaken as part of the review, Officers had found no evidence from other authorities that any other collection method was more successful than the one currently in place. The West Lindsey regime of linking street cleansing activity with the waste collection regime produced visibly better results than any other authority which Officers visited.

The collection cost was similar to other areas within the district, however, street cleansing costs were higher.

Members noted the conclusions set out in Section 4 of the report and the resulting recommendations.

The study and associated work would be fed into the review of the South West Ward Place Based Strategy which had originally been agreed by Members in January 2018 and there were plans to expand the number of cameras in the area, to assist with enforcement. These would be in-situ by March 2019, subject to relevant permissions being granted.

Members congratulated Officers for the thorough way in which the review had been conducted, commenting that both the consultation and methodology had been excellent and executed well.

It was suggested that as part of the review, other collection methods could have been piloted particularly in light of the costs associated with keeping the area clean, questioning whether this was sustainable in the future.

In response, Officers were hopeful that with the increased camera provision, increased use of enforcement and continued education, these costs could be reduced.

RESOLVED that: -

(a)     the current sack based collection methodology in ten foot areas of Gainsborough continue; and

(b)     an updated Environmental Assessment be presented to the Prosperous Communities Committee in February 2020 as part of the programmed review of the Gainsborough South West Ward Place Based Strategy.