Daventry to vote on recycling overhaul

Plans to shake-up the existing collection regime are being explored ahead of the end of the borough’s existing collections contract with Amey which is due to end in 2018. The contract, which also includes street cleansing was procured jointly with Northampton council.

At present, recycling and residual waste are collected on alternate weeks, with a red box provided for paper and card, and a blue box for plastic bottles, tubs and trays, glass and cans. Residual waste is collected fortnightly via a 240L wheeled bin. The service also includes a weekly food waste collection and fortnightly garden waste pick-up.

At the meeting on Thursday, councillors will decide whether to approve plans to overhaul this system, moving to a commingled system for recycling, with a separate container for glass, and switching to a three-weekly collection system for residual waste.

Should the recommendations be backed by councillors, the council will put the proposals out to consultation with residents.

Savings

The rationale for the changes is to reduce the cost of the overall service to the local authority. The cost of the joint contract to Daventry currently totals around £2 million per year, serving around 33,000 households. In documents put to councillors ahead of the meeting on Thursday, it is claimed that this is likely to rise ‘substantially’ from June 2018 due to a ‘steep fall’ in recyclate prices.

A total of 32 options for potential changes to the council’s kerbside system were evaluated, with the option for three weekly residual collections, combined with a ‘two-stream’ recycling system and a £35 per year fee for residents for garden waste collection deemed to be the most favourable. This is expected to cost the authority around £1.06 million per year.

Future

Councillor Jo Gilford, Daventry district council’s environment portfolio holder said: “We are facing significant funding pressures ahead of us and it’s important we start acting now to explore the future of our waste and recycling service.

“Once the current contract ends in 2018, we know that the future cost of the service will be considerably higher, regardless of service design or supplier. This is partly due to the considerable drop in prices received for recycling materials which is unlikely to change in the future.

“Maintaining the status quo is not a sensible option as the cost of the service would effectively double and be too expensive to run. So we have to look at future options that are affordable and will deliver a good quality service for our residents. Their views will be important as we shape the future of the service in the years ahead.”