Agenda item

Report of the Director of the Built Environment.

Members received a report from the Director of Built Environment on The City of London’s 2013 Waste Strategy setting a local target to achieve a 45% recycling rate by 2015 and 50% by 2020. Initially, from 2013, the City’s recycling rate had increased and was on track to achieve this. However, due to the introduction of the Materials Recycling Facility Code of Practice in October 2014, which set stricter quality standards for recyclable materials sent for reprocessing, it was necessary for officers to investigate the quality of the recycling being sent for onward processing. In addition to the issues detailed above, it was reported widely in the industry press that national recycling rates have flat lined. 

The Renew on-street recycling bins and those maintained by Parks and Gardens were identified as having a consistently high contamination rate which affected the quality of the recycling. As a result, these two streams of recycling were removed from City’s recycling and the recycling rate decreased accordingly to 30%.

A Recycling Action Plan has been devised setting out the actions the City will take to get back on track to reach its recycling targets. 

Members highlighted the use of incentives to prompt participation in the Recycling Action Plan from businesses and amongst schools and young people. The Director of Built Environment explained that the City was utilising schemes looking for financial waste, as well as working towards reminding businesses that it is cheaper to recycle than to dispose of waste. The Committee were also informed that the corporation was working closely with educational establishments to increase Dry Mixed Recycling (DMR).

Members enquired as to why recycling bins have been taken away from particular areas within the City. The Director of Built Environment explained that the corporation only wanted to use recycling bins if waste was being recycled correctly as this was part of the contamination problem. Members followed this question by asking what exactly was contaminating the recyclable waste and whether it was possible to provide more options, such as dual bins. The Director stated that a complete list of recyclable materials would be going out with the next council tax form and that the corporation was looking into recycling commercial waste, trialling different bins and looking at using different bags in order to improve the process.

Resolved.Members noted the implementation of the Recycling Action Plan.