Shrewsbury & Atcham
Borough Council

6.  Option Appraisal – Recycling

Contract Bring Banks (Shropshire Waste Management)

The Bring Bank collection contract with Shropshire Waste Management is managed on a ten year agreement and is due to expire in November 2006.

A list of sites are identified for members included in the report and marked Appendix No 7.

There are no immediate plans to amend the operational frequency although with the increased use of Kerbside recycling there may be some marginal impact on their use by the general public

The level of emptying will be monitored following the introduction of the Kerbside Scheme to assess the effect on tonnage. In any event fluctuations can be accommodated to match public demand for the service.

The retention of local Bring Banks in areas not serviced by the Kerbside Scheme will remain to provide the public with a local outlet for recyclables.

• Monitor the use and frequency of collections following the inclusion of glass for the Kerbside Recycling Scheme in 2003.

Shrewsbury & Atcham Borough Council provide a Bring Bank system of 14 cubic yard skips situated at 10 individual sites throughout the Borough area. The recycling plan attached to the report as Appendix No 8 identifies the locations.

The same principle of retaining Bring Bank facilities in the short to medium term will also apply to these larger units. Regular monitoring will provide the evidence in the event demand falls, following the extension of the Kerbside Collection Scheme.

The bring bank sites are all situated at prime urban locations to offer the general public an alternative intermediary opportunity to deposit recyclables during visits to supermarkets, town centre shopping trips etc.

Kerbside Collection Scheme (Contract - Shropshire Waste Management)

Shrewsbury & Atcham Borough Council currently operates a Kerbside Recycling Collection Scheme to 83% of the population via a contract with Shropshire Waste Management. The system is about to be upgraded to include glass with the provision of a 55 litre box to replace the householder providing their own sacks/bags for paper, cans and textile recyclables.

The increase in performance for this approved scheme is estimated to produce an annual return of 8.8% towards our statutory recycling and composting targets of 18% for 2003/4.

At the time of preparing this report the final contractual and purchasing arrangements to improve the scheme are in the process of being resolved. This is expected to result in the scheme being fully operational during mid to late June. Performance and service cost predictions will reflect the revised commencement date.

Members of the Culture, Leisure Community Overview and Scrutiny Committee have been actively involved in the review of Kerbside Schemes through the appointment of a working sub-group.

This group’s work is appreciated and has contributed towards the decision to extend the Kerbside Scheme for boxes and to include glass.

• To consult with residents of Shrewsbury & Atcham Borough Council following the introduction of the scheme

Green Waste Collection/Composting/Shrewsbury & Atcham Borough Council

Following a successful trial in 2001/2 a 14-week Green Waste Collection/Composting Scheme was introduced in 2003/3.

The scheme was successfully operated In-house by Shrewsbury & Atcham Borough Council with 4 vehicles and 12 operatives, alternating on a rural/urban collection arrangement.

Our overall recycling/composting performance increased by a further 3% with the issue of 4 green plastic sacks to residents. A customer satisfaction study was carried out for the scheme and the results are identified for members in Appendix No 10 attached to this report.

Further amendments to the scheme have been approved for 2003/4. These include extending the collection period from 14-weeks to 23-weeks commencing on the 19^th May until the 24^th October 2003. Appendix No 11 identifies the information brochure informing residents of the scheme details etc.

Unlimited bags for householders are a feature of the scheme for 2003/4. We envisage that this increase in sacks, together with the extended operational period will yield a performance for the Green Composting Collection Scheme of approximately 6%. This will significantly contribute to our overall objective of 20.4% which exceeds the statutory target of 18%.