Agenda item

A report by the Head of Environmental Operations

The Head of Environmental Operations addressed the committee confirming the reason for the report which was to respond to the resolution agreed by the committee at its last meeting on the 24^th July 2019 that charges for replacement wheeled bins be added to this agenda.

For clarity members were advised that the Brown Bin charges were not in the scope of the report as the service is in opt-in discretionary service. The report covered Blue and Green bin replacement charges only.  

Referencing the 2013/14 annual budget report, the Head of Environmental Operations drew members’ attention to the new charge for replacement 240L bins as being £25.00 per bin.  The budget report had been taken through the Corporate and Community Committee on the 17^th January 2013; Audit and Governance Committee on the 28 January 2013, Cabinet on the 20^th February and Full Council on the 4 March 2013 for formal approval.  The same charge had been included in subsequent budgets for each year thereafter up to and including the current financial year.

Since the formal approval of replacement bin charges in 2013/14 budget, it became apparent that the charge had not been consistently applied.  On the 14^th January 2019 at an Inquiry Evening held in respect of the draft Waste and Recycling Operational Procedures document, at no time during the deliberations were concerns noted by any member in respect of the charges for the replacement wheeled bins.

Income from the sale of the replacement bins from 2013/14 to date had been £5,000, £4,150 of that amount had been collected since April 2019.

Member comment and questioning included:

A member stated there appeared to be a few discrepancies within the Waste and Recycling Operations procedures document with the one tabled within the report.  The Head of Environmental Operations agreed that there had been a number of draft versions of the procedures but the one on the Council’s website, which had been agreed following the Inquiry evening, was the correct one. Clearly set out under Procedure 14 it stated that when a bin was damaged in the back of the collection vehicle, a note would be made by the crew and the Council would arrange a replacement bin to be delivered free of charge.

A number of suggestions by members followed including:

• Developers on new builds taking responsibility for the cost of the initial bins.  Members were advised this was already in place
• Charging all residents for their existing bins and making them the owner.  They would then be automatically responsible for any bin replacement subject to it being damaged by the Council.
• Charging HMO’s commercial rates and not residential rates for their refuse collections.  Members noted that many HMO’s had multiple bins to empty.
• Waiving all replacement charges and looking at the possibility of off-setting the replacement costs through the overall waste removal system.
• Holding a ‘Bin Amnesty’ to allow any unused / unwanted secondary bins to be collected freeing up reusable bins.

It was moved by Councillor Deborah Evans and seconded by Councillor Neil Hastie that all charges for replacements Green and Blue bins be withdrawn.

The motion was clearly carried.

RECOMMENDATION:   That the Environment and Performance Committee recommend to Cabinet that it withdraw all replacement charges for the Green and Blue domestic wheeled bins.