A best value inspection was carried out last September, when Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council's waste management service was judged to be good but unlikely to improve. And although the Commission has now carried out a follow-up inspection saying that the waste management service will probably improve in the short-term, inspectors have asked how the council plans to increase its recycling rate.
The inspectors said that while the council's current recycling rate is 9.8%, which means that it is likely to hit its 2003 target of 10%, it needs to look at how it will double this in two years to reach 18% by 2005.
The Audit Commission expressed concern that the council is putting off making a decision about the future of its refuse and recycling service until 2002. This is because is hopes that by this time a community-based kerbside recycling scheme, called DNB, will have expanded to collect recyclables from all homes in the borough.
But the Commission said: “This is a risky strategy that require a very small organisation to grow from collecting at less than 5,000 homes to collecting at 120,000 in just two years.”
And the report said that to hit target the council must ensure that it provides adequate support for the community-based kerbside recycling scheme if it is to expand borough-wide and to make contingency arrangements if it fails.
The inspectors also said that while Dudley has developed a “credible” waste management strategy it does not address issues such as the reduction in the amount of waste produced or awareness raising campaigns to increase recycling. The inspectors added that the council should progress working with neighbouring boroughs to identify a joint approach towards waste management which should help it hit government targets.
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