Reporting person: Geoff Mcmanus
Attendees should note that this will be a presentation at the Committee.
Minutes:
The Committee received a presentation from Sarah Beck and Jo Chauhan from Joint Waste Solutions. The presentation covered several areas such as the continued Covid-19 response, an Update on garden waste collection, information on driver recruitment and a waste and recycling performance update.
The update on garden waste collection highlighted the impact HGV driver shortages and the disruption caused by Covid-19 had on the service and it was confirmed that garden waste subscriptions in Woking would be extended to compensate for the disruption caused. Following a question from Councillor Brown regarding disruption to other Boroughs it was stated that the disruption was wide-spread.
A discussion took place on missed bins prompted by a question from the Chairman. The process was explained, particularly how the dashboard worked and some possible causes of missed bins were discussed such as the movement of collection crews who were familiar with the areas and the use of agency staff to supplement crew shortages caused by the pandemic.
Councillor Dorsett asked a question regarding fines for missed bins, noting that on social media it had been said that the value amounted to £75. Clarification was provided that the value per missed bin amounted to £12.50.
In response to two questions from Councillor Nicholson it was stated that as consultations for curb-side carton recycling had not yet concluded there was no timescale for this to be brought in and that there was no indication that Amey was planning to offload waste contracts as had happened in previous years.
Following a question raised by Councillor Leach on the top issues a discussion took place between Members, the representatives from Joint Waste Solutions and Councillor Davis, the portfolio holder. A number of potential issues were flagged such as the impact of the pandemic on HGV driving tests and the general shortage of HGV drivers, as well as the competitive nature of the job market for HGV drivers.
Councillor Hussain shared that the Woking Armed Forces Covenant could be approached as a means to potentially address some of the HGV vacancies and also highlighted an issue in his ward which was agreed to be taken outside of the meeting.
A discussion took place on subscriptions following a question from Councillor Dorsett and it was confirmed that the number of collections missed will be monitored and subscriptions extended accordingly. The Chairman asked whether a refund would be issued if the contract was cancelled, noting that under normal circumstances a refund was not typically issued and it was confirmed that should a contract be cancelled under the current circumstances a refund would be issued.
Clarification was sought on the disposal process for small appliances and electrical items and the Committee was informed that there were new small appliance bins which were being trialled in communal areas.
A question was raised by the Chairman on improving the collection service from flats and Sarah Beck, JWS, stated that the main focus would be to reduce contamination and to expand the communal waste collection service to areas which had previously not had access to the service and facilities.
Thanks was extended to the representatives from Joint Waste Solutions from the Chairman for their presentation.
RESOLVED
That the Joint Waste Management Performance Review presentation be noted.