Agenda item

Michael Greenhalf , Waste Contract & Strategy Manager, will present the attached briefing.

Michael Greenhalf, Waste Contract & Strategy Manager, presented the briefing enclosed with the agenda.

The chair then invited questions and the following points were made:

·  Members asked if monitoring of organic waste had identified trends, such as reduction.  The officer responded that no trends had been established downward, but there is seasonality. People put more out summer time and Christmas time, which makes it difficult to access trends. The other difficulty is communal collection makes it challenging to know the waste per household. The council is looking at posters and other campaigns to reduce waste and measure impact. Schemes that tend to work well are those with engaged occupiers in community groups such as a TRA, or a housing officer committed to sustainability.

·  The officer was asked about linking up compost with the council’s commitment to offer allotments. The officer said that there had been a recent focus on the logistics to do this, and now officers are moving to community engagement to be more effective. Officers are now linking up with allotments and communicating the purpose of the climate emergency strategy and the role of waste and compost in this.

·  The officer explained that the council do need to keep some food in the mix for the Mechanical & Biological Treatment (MBT) fuel produced by Veolia for energy. Members asked about the threshold for this and the officer explained that we are not near it now.

·  Rolling out more food waste collection would also have to factor in the additional environmental cost of collecting the food waste via vehicles on the road.

·  There is a need to reduce the amount of waste Southwark residents and businesses produce.

·  A members said that constituents have asked how to dispose of the compostable containers that cannot currently be placed in any designated waste place for recycling. The officer explained that while compostable containers are better for rivers and seas longer term as they do not release micro-plastics, realistically they will not break down for a long time without specific conditions of light, heat and humidity, therefore these containers tend toward greenwash. However they can be disposed in the general waste and will contribute to MBT fuel.

·  Members are asked about the timescale for food collections to be rolled out and linked with Anaerobic Digestion as many residents are very keen to play their part in this. The officer explained that this work is dependent on government plans being brought forward, including a policy and legal framework and funding. If the council jump ahead then the costs fall on the council only. It is therefore likely that the borough will get more carbon savings from other activities and investments, until this comes online.

·  Members referred to the graph in the briefing and asked if organic waste could be stabilising with more collections but the same amount collected because people are wasting less food. The officer responded that this trend has not been identified through looking at sampling - though food waste caddies do tend to make people aware and mean some reduction.

·  Members asked about composting on site in estates with the increase in food growing projects? The officer said there are some studies looking at this, and including garden waste and there is a longer term piece of work with housing, under the Great Estates programme to take this forward, with a dedicated housing and waste group looking at better waste storage. A member referred to a small estate which they are very keen and asked the officer to get in touch.

·  Wandsworth Council have community composting, which engages about 100 people. The officer said that Southwark have about 1200 using the subsidised composite scheme, which costs of £10.

·  Veolia do not make money from composting. Peat free compost is expensive to buy commercially as the processing is extensive and often has to be done outside of the city because of permits.

RESOLVED

Commission members will visit the Veolia waste processing plant.