Agenda item

By Councillor Cowdy - HWRC Booking System

“Committee notes:

1.    Through its Waste and Recycling Strategy, Council has a stated commitment that at least 70% of waste is recycled, and to “maximise the use of recycling services to increase the amount of waste collected for recycling through kerbside collection, recycling points and Community Recycling Centres so that by 2015 we divert at least 50% from landfill.”

2.    Recycling Rates have remained stubbornly below 50%.

3.    The online booking system for Household Waste Recycling Centres was introduced in June 2020 to ensure they could be reopened safely following the COVID-19 related closure.

4.    Recycling tonnage levels from HWRC’s have seen a marked decline since the booking system was introduced:
 2018/19 = 17,744 Before Booking System
 2019/20 = 18,269 Before Booking System
 2020/21 = 13,010 During Lockdown
 2021/22 = 16,087 Booking System in place
 2022/23 = 13,433 Booking System in place

5.    Recycling performance for Communal Waste has also fallen since 2019, in spite of the roll out of Phase 1 of the Communal Bin Review:
 2019/20 = 41.1%
 2020/21 = 39.6%
 2021/22 = 42.7%
 2022/23 = 40.7%

6.    With poor recycling performance, Council should take steps to increase recycling rates.

Therefore: Council agrees that the current booking system for HWRC’s should cease from 1 August 2023”