Proposed by Councillor Simon Holbrook

Seconded by Councillor Gill Gardiner

(1)  This Council welcomes the announcement by the Communities Secretary that powers to allow councils to charge households according to the amount of waste thrown out have been ruled out.

(2)  Council believes that local flexibility to operate household waste and recycling collection schemes according to what works best for that particular area is the best way to increase recycling rates.

(3)  Council is pleased to note the current high levels of bin collection rates in Wirral, the improvements to contract quality, service delivery and working practices that have been implemented over the last three years and congratulates the Director of Technical Services, the Waste Management Team and those councillors involved for their hard work in this area to achieve this.

(4)  Council also commends the positive response from Wirral residents and notes that our residents recycled more dry recycling than any other Merseyside district (2009/10).

(5)  However, Council also believes that more can to be done to divert waste away from landfill and further increase recycling.

(6)  Therefore, Council requests that the Director of Technical Services continues to examine new ways to reduce waste to landfill, such as through the introduction of food waste collections (taking account of existing work undertaken to date), the collection of recyclable material from businesses, increasing the range of recyclable material that can be taken to the council’s recycling collection points and working with MWDA to increase the range of materials that can be placed in grey bins.

(7)  The Director is also requested to investigate the feasibility and cost effectiveness of introducing a recycling rewards scheme to incentivise households to do more to recycle.

Amendment submitted in accordance with Standing Order 7(2):

Proposed by Councillor John Salter

Seconded by Councillor Denise Roberts

Insert new paragraph 7 – renumber current paragraph 7 accordingly.

Council stresses that any new ways of reducing waste to landfill, such as the collection of food waste, must not take place at the expense of any other front line services, nor must it be allowed, through reduction in resources or any other way, to reduce the present high standard and reliability of waste collection across the borough.

Following a debate Councillor Holbrook agreed to accept Councillor Salter’s amendment as a friendly amendment. Having waived his right of reply, the amendment was put and it was –

Resolved (unanimously) –

(1)  This Council welcomes the announcement by the Communities Secretary that powers to allow councils to charge households according to the amount of waste thrown out have been ruled out.

(2)  Council believes that local flexibility to operate household waste and recycling collection schemes according to what works best for that particular area is the best way to increase recycling rates.

(3)  Council is pleased to note the current high levels of bin collection rates in Wirral, the improvements to contract quality, service delivery and working practices that have been implemented over the last three years and congratulates the Director of Technical Services, the Waste Management Team and those councillors involved for their hard work in this area to achieve this.

(4)  Council also commends the positive response from Wirral residents and notes that our residents recycled more dry recycling than any other Merseyside district (2009/10).

(5)  However, Council also believes that more can to be done to divert waste away from landfill and further increase recycling.

(6)  Therefore, Council requests that the Director of Technical Services continues to examine new ways to reduce waste to landfill, such as through the introduction of food waste collections (taking account of existing work undertaken to date), the collection of recyclable material from businesses, increasing the range of recyclable material that can be taken to the council’s recycling collection points and working with MWDA to increase the range of materials that can be placed in grey bins.

(7)  Council stresses that any new ways of reducing waste to landfill, such as the collection of food waste, must not take place at the expense of any other front line services, nor must it be allowed, through reduction in resources or any other way, to reduce the present high standard and reliability of waste collection across the borough.

(8)  The Director is also requested to investigate the feasibility and cost effectiveness of introducing a recycling rewards scheme to incentivise households to do more to recycle.