The Essex waste collection authority was awarded one star and was described as having “uncertain” prospects for improving.
Compared to similar councils, Brentwood produced a low level of waste per head, inspectors noted. Recycling rates were above the national average the Audit Commission said, but the rate had been declining since 1998.
A rate of 11.8% recycling of household waste is being achieved by the council, down from 14% in 1998. The statutory performance standards for Brentwood are to recycle or compost at least 28% of household waste by 2003-04, rising to 36% by 2005-06.
A statement from the Commission said today: “The council is not likely to meet the statutory performance standard for recycling/composting in 2003-04 and the target set to improve the reliability of refuse collection is not sufficiently challenging. An ambitious target has been set for waste minimisation but there is no plan of how this is to be achieved.”
The council's waste service was also marked down on the reliability of its collection of ordinary refuse. Inspectors recommended putting more effort into communicating waste services information to local people and making improvements to recycling sites.
Covering about 68,000 people, the council's waste services is run in-house at a budget of just over 1 million, of which 18,611 is spent on recycling each year.
There is a fortnightly kerbside collection of newspapers and magazines and a fortnightly collection of garden waste has taken place since 2002. Glass, cans, card and textiles are also collected from 12 bring bank sites located throughout the borough.
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