Agenda and minutes

To receive the apologies of any Member who is unable to attend this meeting.

Apologies for absence were received on behalf of Councillors Debbie Taylor and Jinny Pearce.

To invite Councillors to declare any interests they may have in items on the agenda.

There were no declarations of interest.

1.         To give notice of any items for future meetings or for the Forward Plan, including any scheduled for this meeting, but now carried forward or deleted; and

2          any other relevant announcements.

(Oral report)

The Chair advised that the following item of business, scheduled on the Forward Plan to be dealt with at this meeting, had been rescheduled to a later meeting of the Committee:

·        Concessionary Rents Policy

She also advised that she had accepted the following item as Urgent Business:

·        Increasing Rates of Recycling Review – Final Report

(Not on the Forward Plan for this meeting)

To confirm as a correct record the minutes of the meeting of the Executive Committee held on 13th March 2012.

(Minutes attached)

RESOLVED that

the minutes of the meeting of the Executive Committee held on                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          13th March 2012 be confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

To consider the Final Report of the Increasing Rates of Recycling Review.

(Copy circulated separately)

The Committee received the final report of the Increasing Rates of Recycling Review Task and Finish Group,

The Chair of the group, Councillor Gay Hopkins, gave a presentation on the findings of the review. 

In particular, she highlighted how the group gathered information, which included visits to:

• EnviroSort to see how recyclable waste is processed;
  
  
• Various sites across the town to see how the Council had made it easier for people to recycle as part of the 100% Project; and
  
  
• A number of Bring Bank sites across the town.

The group had also gone out with crews to collect waste from both grey and green bins.

The group’s findings included:

• Many people in Redditch are already keen recyclers but were not aware that larger or additional green bins could be provided on request without charge;
  
  
• Many residents were uncertain about what could be recycled and more examples should be available to show how recyclable waste is used;
  
  
• Identification of areas where the most and least recycling had been collected to target future work to increase recycling;
  
  
• The waste collection crews were very enthusiastic about helping to increase recycling;
  
  
• The unnecessary cost incurred in providing additional grey bins on request; and
  
  
• The increase in street sweepings which had reduced the Council’s overall recycling rates.

Members noted that in some areas of Redditch, e.g Smallwood and Mount Pleasant, rates of recycling might be lower because of the type of property and narrowness of roads in those areas.

The Committee thanked the members of the Increasing Rates of Recycling Review Task Group, and the Officers involved its production, for their excellent report.

RESOLVED that

the recommendations of the Increasing Rates of Recycling Review be approved as follows

1.                  WORKING WITH THE MEDIA

a)     A media strategy be developed to help forge a close working relationship with the local media to publicise what can be recycled, illustrate how recycled waste is eventually reused, and to explain the importance of reducing waste – for example through the Love Food Hate Waste campaign;

b)     Press releases are issued to the local media on a regular basis to remind residents that they can have an extra or larger green bin at no charge; and

c)     The Council work with the local media to publicise its new approach to collect waste from grey bins from all districts in the Borough one week, and to collect from all green bins the next when this is introduced in 2012/13 as part of the ‘route optimisation’ work.

2.                  GENERAL PUBLICITY

a)     As part of the Council’s regular recycling campaign, that images be displayed of items made 100% from recycled products on the Council’s fleet of waste collection vehicles to publicise what happens to recycling and to reassure residents that recycling is worthwhile; and

b)     A new sticker be produced that can be placed on bins with excess recyclables to inform residents that they can have an extra or larger green bin at no charge.

3.         CAPTURING AND UTILISING WASTE  ...  view the full minutes text for item 206.

To receive the minutes of the meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 6th March 2012

There are no recommendations to consider.

(Minutes attached)

The Committee received the minutes of the meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 6th March 2012.  It was noted that there were no recommendations to consider.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 6th March be received and noted,

To receive and consider the minutes of the most recent meeting of the Worcestershire Shared Services Joint Committee.

(Minutes attached)

The Committee received the minutes of the meeting of the Worcestershire Shared Services Joint Committee held on 23rd February 2012.

RESOLVED that the minutes be noted.

To receive and consider any outstanding minutes or referrals from the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, Executive Panels etc. since the last meeting of the Executive Committee, other than as detailed in the items above.

There were no minutes or referrals to consider under this item.

To consider, for monitoring / management purposes, an update on the work of the Executive Committee’s Advisory Panels and similar bodies, which report via the Executive Committee.

Members considered and noted the latest version of the report on the activity of the Council’s Advisory Panels and similar bodies.  It was noted that the last meeting of the Grants Panel.

To consider an update on the actions arising from previous meetings of the Committee.

Members considered and noted the most recent version of the Committee’s Action report.