Cambridgeshire councils to consider waste merger

Cambridge city and South Cambridgeshire councils are considering plans to merge their waste teams and operate a joined-up waste collection service in a move that it is hoped will save the authorities between 170,000 and 500,000 per year.

Under the plans, which are due to be scrutinised by councillors at meetings next week, both councils waste and recycling teams would be overseen by a single management and support structure.

Cambridge city council’s team would relocate to South Cambridgeshire district council’s depot in Waterbeach, which is close to AmeyCespa’s household waste treatment facility, where much of the countys waste is processed.

A report to be considered by Cambridge councillors at a meeting on July 8, and South Cambridgeshire councillors two days later, also recommends establishing a single waste collection service between the two authorities, in response to housing growth across the area and to make the current service more efficient.

The councils have proposed to establish a single waste service, which would be wholly owned and run by the local authorities including domestic and trade waste, fleet management, maintenance and procurement.

Savings

It is believed that the joint service will bring about savings through lower operational costs, an increased opportunity to market and compete for additional business in relation to trade waste and greater opportunities to work with other Cambridgeshire authorities to reduce waste collection and disposal costs.

The single waste service will be democratically accountable to each of the councils via a single governance board made up of the executive and cabinet councillors from the district council and the city council. The board will be responsible for setting the strategic vision of the service, agreeing the key operational performance targets and, crucially, ensuring the Service is accountable for the delivery of the performance targets.

Both councils currently operate collection services in-house, with South Cambridgeshire collecting recyclables and residual waste on a fortnightly rotation. Residents in the district are provided with 240-litre capacity wheeled bins for their residual waste, mixed recyclables and green waste, as well as a caddy for paper waste.

Residents in Cambridge meanwhile are provided with three wheeled bins for green waste, mixed recyclables and residual waste, as well as a kitchen caddy for food waste. Collections in Cambridge also take place on a fortnightly rotation.

Cooperation

Commenting on the proposals councillor Mick Martin, South Cambridgeshire district council’s cabinet member for environmental services, said: Working with Cambridge city council on a joint waste and recycling service makes perfect business sense. Growth on the border of our areas has meant we now have the opportunity to be smarter with collection rounds which can achieve significant savings. The move would get better value-for-money for council taxpayers and contribute to the efficiency savings needed owing to continued reductions in government funding.

Councillor Peter Roberts, executive councillor for environment, waste and public health at Cambridge city council, added: Collecting waste is one of the council’s highest profile jobs and we know we do it well in Cambridge.

We are confident that by working with South Cambs we can maintain that good quality service while cutting costs at the same time. That has to be the right ambition given the challenging financial situation that we and all other councils face.