Minutes:
The Service Director Streetcare gave members an update on the rollout to the changes on the Green Waste Collections. He advised members of the following updates to the service:
A Member referred to Community gardens where there are people who volunteer to look after them. He asked how they would be managed going forward.
The Service Director Streetcare advised if residents tend to the gardens and take the waste to their house then this will be collected. If, however residents have registered for two bags, then only two will be taken away, this will also serve as a deterrent from stealing bags too. He added that a hard approach was not intended, particularly in the early days. We want to encourage and engage residents in the process.
A Member asked about residents that don’t leave their bags out near their houses, for example sometimes they are grouped at the end of a communal driveway. Street and how those collections will be managed.
The Service Director Streetcare advised that that the same collection points will continue and as long as residents register for the new green waste collections then their waste will be collected..
A Member asked if local churches have to register for the green waste collections as they have their grass cut on a regular basis.
The Service Director Streetcare replied they do not have to register and they were working closely with local churches on any changes to the scheme.
A Member asked if compost was able to go in the green waste bags. The Service Director Streetcare advised that this could not be included in the bags but this could be taken to one of the six distribution sites. He added the cleaner the waste, the higher the chance it can be turned into something else. He added that the weight of the bags is also a consideration and that the website had been updated with all the relevant information.
A Member was concerned that when the bags were put out for collection, as they were light they could be blown around and lost or not returned to the correct household.
The Service Director Streetcare advised that a trial had been undertaken and the crews are aware of these issues and will do what is reasonably practical to return the bags to the rightful owners. He added that other options had been explored but as an Authority with so many terraced properties, wheelie bins were not an option and it was not possible to remain with single use plastic. He added that this is a tried and tested scheme across other Local Authority areas.
A Member asked about residents with restricted mobility and how these are supported for collections.
The Service Director informed members that residents are advised not to put too much in the bags so they were not too heavy. He added that the Authority also undertakes assisted waste collections if required.
The Chairman invited the Leader of the Plaid Cymru group to ask a question of officers.
She referred to the 16,000 people that had registered for the scheme already but was concerned that there were 120,000 households in RCT so there was quite some way to go before this is a sustainable option. The Service Director Streetcare wished to clarify that due to the very nature of the households in RCT, residents presenting green waste is less than 50,000 households as many residents had no gardens or very little outdoor space.
She asked when collections were undertaken would the bags be returned to the kerbside? She was concerned that there are already many obstructions on the kerbside, which was to the detriment of blind and disabled people, and worried about further hazards to them.
The Service Director Streetcare replied that crews have been made aware of these issues and have been encouraged to return the bags as reasonably as possible to prevent further obstructions.
A Member asked about the weight of the bags and if the bags drain if we had heavy rainfall. The Service Director responded that the weight of the bags had not been raised as an issue and the bags will drain during heavy rain. He advised that residents should continue to put their bags out on the evening before collection.