Agenda item

Councillor Barker asked the Waste and Recycling Officer what Uttlesford District Council (UDC) had in place currently.

The Waste and Recycling Officer introduced the panel to the ‘Waste Awareness Plan for Uttlesford District 2018-2024’, and spoke about a number of current and future initiatives. Both documents are appended to these minutes.

Councillor Sell was very pleased that there was a plan and initiatives in place.  He suggested that the Waste and Recycling Officer speak with UDC’s Economic Development Officer, Simon Jackson in relation to getting local businesses on board with some of the initiatives.   The Waste and Recycling Officer said that she was also going to be speaking with UDC’s Senior Health Improvement Officer in relation to increasing awareness and initiatives internally.

The Waste and Recycling Officer said that there were to be a number of awareness articles in the ‘Uttlesford Life’ publication in the lead up to and over Christmas focussing on ‘saying no to single use plastics’ and unrecyclable wrapping paper.

The Waste and Recycling Officer had also met with the ‘Saffron Walden against climate change’ group in an unofficial manner and spoke about ‘waste busters’.

Councillor Barker said that there has been a popular misconception that when it came to initiatives in Uttlesford that ‘we didn’t need help’, being an affluent area, however this led to UDC being left behind and it was important that UDC was supported by Essex County Council

Councillor Wells spoke about a group called ‘DIGIT’ in Dunmow, and Councillor Sell said that contact needed to be made with community groups.  He also advised that the Saffron Walden Town Council had been doing some work around plastics.

The Waste and Recycling Officer said that she had been carrying out ‘The problem with plastics workshops’ in schools.  The workshop was suitable for all ages and the whole school benefits and that it was a way to help get the recycling message home to parents.

Councillor Wells asked how recycling rates were measured and monitored.

Councillor Barker said that it was anecdotal from the crews.

The panel discussed the apparent apathy to recycling in the rural community.  As well as visiting schools, the panel discussed approaching older groups like the Women’s’ Institute and the University of the Third Age.

Councillor Sell offered to be the link to the Stansted Business Forum.

The Operations Manager discussed the possibility of offering trade waste recycling and waste collection, as well as the possibility of adding rural small businesses to the domestic rounds for collection.  This could be more cost effective in some cases.

Councillor Barker told the panel about the new innovative way in which Eddington in Cambridge dealt with its waste from a recent visit to the development.   It was discussed that whilst it was impossible to retrofit such a system, new initiatives could be installed in new developments at the point of building. This would mean that waste management would have to be on the planning agenda for new developments.

The Waste and Recycling Officer then spoke about alternatives to plastics in the Council. Internal usage was very much within ‘our control’.   The panel spoke about new non-plastic plastics and biodegradable materials in place of plastics.

Councillor Sell said that he was very impressed and that whilst not being prescriptive the direction of travel was very much what he liked to see.

The Panel spoke about positive competition in the district, enabling pride in the community, best kept street, best kept village, but not judged on one day but at intervals throughout the year.

The Panel discussed the duplication of things like grass cutting in areas, where there was a crossover of responsibility and where this was the case that arrangements could be made to save money in duplication and hand pockets of land back to the community to maintain with the funds to do so, to give a sense of ownership.

Councillor Barker said that with new developments, they are kept pristine until the developer has sold the last plot and then it’s left to deteriorate.

Councillor Sell said that it was important to maintain awareness of third party campaigns and support them locally.