The Environmental Services Manager introduced James Farquhar - Regional Manager for South East (Suez) and James Goodwin – Contract General Manager for Mid Kent (Suez).  He introduced the covering report which included two appendices: the Annual Performance Report for the Waste Collection & Street Cleansing Service; and the Suez Mid Kent Annual Report. 

The Chair invited Members to make comments and ask questions, and these included:

·         Welcomed the report;

·         it was important to add additional street cleansing coverage for events such as the Hop Festival in Faversham;

·         clarification sought on the health and safety data as some figures across the two reports did not add up;

·         considered the four-week wait for collection of bulky waste was unacceptable, this needed to be looked into as bulky waste was an income generator;

·         some streets were in a poor state; the street cleansing system in place appeared to be very random;

·         a better picture should be put on the front of the report;

·         the Waste Member Working Group should not be disbanded, but should remain for a further year;

·         suggested the colour of the food waste transfer bin on the refuse vehicles be changed so that the public’s perception of where the food waste ended up was clearer;

·         there were numerous charts within the report and some needed to be given clearer labelling, and the map at Figure 1.12 needed a key to the colours; and

·         broken bin lids were abundant and this could contribute to contamination levels.

In response, the Environmental Services Manager said he would look into the health and safety data across both reports and amend prior to publishing the report; conversations were being had with Suez as to how the bulky waste facility could be expanded with some changes already implemented, the residents booking system for bulky waste collection slots was being looked into as some residents were saying that slots were not available and recent changes in legislation meant the Council had to collect some items separately which had caused issues with the service; black transfer bins were primarily used on the vehicles to make the process clearly identifiable.  The Head of Leisure and Environment explained that the wording in the joint contract between Ashford and Maidstone Borough Councils was that the transfer bin be clearly marked so that it could be identified as being different from the bins being collected.

Councillor Elliott Jayes moved the following motion:  That all food waste transferable bins be any colour apart from blue or green, so that residents were able to see that the food waste was kept separate.  This was seconded by Councillor Sarah Stephen.

Members made the following comments on the motion:

·         Acknowledged the confusion that food waste being transferred into the vehicle in a blue or green bin could bring, however it was already in the contract that the transfer bin would be visibly different;

·         concerned that there could be implications in changing the colour of the bin and was not convinced that this would resolve the issue; and

·         suggested the Communications Team promoted information on the food waste journey.

The Head of Leisure and Environment explained that different authorities used different coloured bins and they were shared amongst the depots, however the bins were replaced regularly given the wear and tear they had from multiple lifts.  It was preferable that the contract was not too prescriptive in case the only bins available on a certain day were Swale colours, and often bins returned by residents when they got new ones were used for this process to contribute to the waste principles of re-use.

On being put to the vote, the motion was lost.

Members continued to consider the report and further comments included:

·         Overall considered there were many positives and the service had improved;

·         fly tipping enforcement should be given more attention as it appeared low compared to incidents;

·         considered the previous refuse contractor was better than the new one;

·         had heard that residents were not happy with the standard of cleansing on the high streets, more needed to be done;

·         thank you to the team who wrote the report;

·         clarification sought on the number of vehicles the Council owned/rented;

·         some residents had seen green waste going into the same vehicle as green bin refuse waste;

·         more information sought on the contamination figures;

·         data on street cleansing post public events would be useful going forward;

·         were there any additional costs in terms of the transportation of bulky waste?; and

·         opportunities for the disposal of particular clinical waste in the borough should be looked into.

In response, the Head of Environment and Leisure said that enforcement work was being carried out on flytipping, which was difficult to pursue sometimes, statistics were being looked at and these figures would be scrutinised.  He explained that street areas were zoned subject to their use/level of traffic, and he said that the team would look into the issues on Milton Regis High Street for the Member who had raised the issue.

The Environmental Services Manager said that the Council had purchased a specific amount of vehicles at the start of the new service and that rental vehicles were paid for by the contractor, with no additional cost to the Council; he asked for more detail on the location of garden waste going into refuse waste so the contractor could investigate, and explained that garden waste was collected separately.  Approximately 15% of recycling did not get to the recycling facility in 2024 due to excessive contamination and a further 15% - 18% of the recycling that went through the recycling plant was non-recyclable; the Environmental Services Manager stressed the importance of Member support for the teams in tackling the issue of contamination with residents; public event dates could be forwarded to him to see if street cleansing could be carried out after the event; and he noted the feedback on the heat map.

The Head of Environment and Leisure said that fees and charges in terms of bulky waste were being reviewed ahead of being set for 2026/27 and he agreed to follow up with the Member who had raised the issue of clinical waste.

Councillor Carole Jackson proposed recommendation (1) in the report and this was seconded by Councillor Alastair Gould.

Councillor Lloyd Bowen proposed recommendation (2) in the report and this was seconded by Councillor Ashley Shiel.

Resolved:

(1)      That the contents of the report be noted and the report be published on the Council’s website.

(2)      That the Waste Member Working Group set up for mobilisation of the new service be disbanded.