Draft Waste Management Strategy 2025-2032
New drop-in session added at Newbury Library on 4 November 2024.
Consultation status ClosedNew drop-in session added below
Background
Waste Strategy 2002-2022 [4MB] at the end of 2022, along with upcoming changes in UK legislation and guidance. These changes will significantly impact some of our waste management services, introducing new requirements for recycling, waste reduction and collecting specific waste types. Our strategy must comply with these evolving regulatory frameworks while also seizing opportunities for service improvement and innovation. The draft strategy includes options for increasing recycling rates, reducing waste production and minimising carbon emissions to meet the Council's climate change objectives.
How we developed our draft strategy
Following a competitive procurement exercise, we appointed technical advisors Eunomia Research and Consultants who we've worked with closely to develop the draft strategy, using their knowledge and experience as leading advisors within the waste management sector within the UK and Europe. We've used data gathered and collected by our waste contractors Veolia. We've also actively engaged with elected members through three workshops held between March and July 2023, a public workshop in May 2023 and presentation in the open forum of the Councils Environment Advisors Group on the 27 November 2023. An earlier version of the draft was also discussed by the Councils Scrutiny Committee on the 17 July 2024.
We've considered upcoming changes in UK legislation and guidance as outlined in the UK Government's Resource and Waste Strategy and the Environment Act 2021.
Through the process of developing the strategy, we've established the following key principles detailed below:
Drive Down General Waste and Increase Recycling:
- reviewing collection services
- minimise waste and increase reuse
- improve communication and community engagement regarding waste reduction and recycling
- reduce carbon emissions associated with the collection services and improve air quality
Improve West Berkshire's Street Scene:
- improve the current recycling, waste and street cleansing services to ensure they help reduce litter and fly tipping
- improve communication and enforcement against littering and fly tipping
- reduce carbon emissions associated with the street cleansing services and improve air quality
Lead the Way:
- effectively manage the council's own waste
- embed social value
- support local businesses in applying the waste hierarchy
You can view/download the draft strategy here [3MB] .
You can also view/download a summary of the main points of the strategy here [456KB] .
What we are proposing
The draft strategy [3MB] aims to improve the Council's waste management performance by increasing recycling rates to 60% by 2030, increase waste minimisation, continue to make West Berkshire a pleasant place to live, and reduce carbon emissions contributing towards the Councils pledge to be Net Zero by 2030. This involves making household waste collection more efficient and promoting public recycling initiatives. Ultimately, the Council will strive to create a more sustainable and environmentally responsible community.
With your help we've made great strides in boosting recycling across West Berkshire with our separate weekly food waste collection service and battery collection at your doorstep, coffee pod and vape recycling at our Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs), plus more collection points for small electrical items, cartons, and plastic pots, tubs and trays. These new services have helped increase our recycling rate from 49% to 54% in the last year.
However, 22% of black bin waste is still food, with another 20% made up of materials that could be recycled through kerbside collection services. This shows there's still room to recycle even more, reducing the amount of waste put out for collection in the black bin.
Independent research undertaken by Eunomia Research and Consultancy for the Council found that reducing black bin waste collections from fortnightly to three-weekly could increase West Berkshire's recycling rate by 5%. We've also spoken to several other Councils who have successfully reduced the frequency of their black bin collections to at least once every three weeks in conjunction with providing a separate weekly food waste collection, these include Bracknell, Warwick, West Northamptonshire and Blaenau Gwent in Wales.
Based on the research, the Council is suggesting that the best practicable environmental option is to change how often we collect black bin waste from fortnightly to once every three weeks. This option is shown to increase the recycling rate, reduce waste generation by householders, and reduce carbon emissions without having as much adverse impact on residents. On the other hand, reducing black bin waste collection to every four weeks is not deemed practicable at this time due to the potentially significant impact on residents, even though that option could result in even greater environmental benefits.
We're also considering changing the containers that recycling is collected in following concerns raised by residents during our engagement workshop, and in light of upcoming changes set out by the UK Governments Simpler Recycling proposals, among other options and ideas to meet the principles set out above.
Why we want your views
We'd like to know how you use our services now, as well as what you think of
the draft strategy [3MB] .
We want to know if you think we're being ambitious enough, that we're planning on taking the right actions and focussing on the right areas, and if there is anything we've missed that you think could have a positive impact on increasing recycling, waste minimisation, keeping the street clean and reducing our carbon footprint.
We'd also like to know your opinion on the different options for recycling containers.
How to take part
If you'd like to comment on our draft strategy, please complete our survey by midnight on Wednesday, 6 November 2024. It should take about 15 minutes.
You can view paper copies of the consultation documents from Wednesday, 25 September 2024 at the following times and locations:
| Location | Times |
|---|---|
| West Berkshire Council Offices, Market Street, Newbury, RG14 5LD | Monday to Thursday from 8.30am to 5pm Friday from 8.30am to 4.30pm |
In addition to the survey, we will be running drop-in sessions at the following times and locations:
If you have any questions about the consultation, please email recycle@westberks.gov.uk or call Customer Services on 01635 519080.
For general enquiries about the waste services we provide, please visit our rubbish and recycling webpage.
What happens next
All the feedback we receive will be analysed and used to inform the final strategy, which will be included in a report submitted to elected members for consideration at the Executive meeting being held on 13 February 2025.
Once approved, the final strategy will be published on our Strategies, Policies and Plans webpage.
NB: Please allow enough time to complete the online survey as there is no "save and continue" button.
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