With a broad range of recycling and waste experience in both the private and public sector, for Paul Deakin, his last post become rather more involved than he expected.
Taking up the position of project manager at East Devon for a stop gap six month’s period, he was to stay until the summer of 2014.
He explains: “I got a six month contract in 2007 and have only just finished, it became the longest six months of my life!”
But, he says he found the time in Devon to be one that was both challenging and satisfying in recycling terms. And, it brought home the benefits of partnership working.
It gave Mr Deakin a base to develop services at the local authority, to support the work of the Devon Waste Partnership and to work for Larac, the Local Authority Recycling Advisory Committee.
During the seven years at East Devon, working with the support of the Devon Waste Partnership, alternate week collection was introduced which helped push the recycling rate from 19 to 44% now.
He says: “In terms of the Devon Waste Partnership – to be honest I think it is the only way forward now for councils. We are likely to be set a 70% rate by 2030 and you are never going to do it on your own. Resources, such as communications, can benefit from being pooled together which happens in a waste partnership. This is one way to help get more communications because we have found a lot of the education work and engaging with the public, has been cut back.”
In East Devon, he considers that working with the contractor can bring benefits to both sides. “We went from a kerbside sort working with SITA and using a bill of quantities to a partnership approach. Over the years we worked with SITA’s manager and have taken costs out.”
Targets
He agrees that some pressure has gone off local authorities to increase their recycling, partly because of the removal of recycling targets but also because councillors are grappling with budget cuts and “members want to do just the day job, collect refuse, do the recycling, job done.”
But, Mr Deakin says councillors can get unfairly criticised. “To some degree, I have sympathy with the councillors. They get a wad of things every month to go through. It has been good in a way giving them greater powers, they do know all that is going on but they also have a lot to go through.”
His past experience has seen him work at North Dorset as waste manager with interim local authority stints in Havering, Thurrock, Manchester and in the private sector including work with consultancy MEL. Drawing on these posts, he says he is not surprised that some councils are now looking at setting up their own businesses in waste and other services such as school meals. “There are a few looking at the local authority Teckal approach and you can make some savings. But I believe these organisations need to have people in their teams with some commercial experience. If you have a local authority mentality it’s not going to work.”
Finances are tough for councils at present and Mr Deakin says it won’t get any easier in the short term. However, he believes that local authorities deserve to get more PRN (packaging waste recovery note) money, some refund on Landfill Tax and perhaps more direct income from retailers, such as Marks & Spencer’s, who have backed some local recycling schemes.
“There should be more PRN money going directly to local authorities which in some way is ring-fenced for promotion work to increasing recycling. The danger is that if you are not careful, the local authority has a budget for recycling and they may use that money for something else.”
He reasons where local authorities are given extra grants, perhaps for £100,000 for example, there should be a 5% lift in recycling. “Money must brings results.”
Difficult
In terms of jobs, while he himself is continuing to run his own Waste Information Services business which offers short term projects and offering advice to local authorities on collections regimes and increased efficiencies. He says for most recycling officers at present there are very limited places to go. “promotion is difficult. There is little or no movement within local authorities, you can find yourself looking for dead men’s shoes if you are going to stay. Some councils see the work recycling officers do as fluffy which doesn’t help and I think councillors do need to understand more about the workings of waste and recycling, it is more than just complaints about bins.”
One factor he says which could help council-related recycling activities is if there was more leadership from government. “We are missing out. At Defra we are not seeing any lead from the top and I believe the Department should take a lead. WRAP do a good job, but they were doing a better job when they were better funded.”
Mr Deakin still plays an active role within Larac, which he chaired in 2001, and is mainly involved in the annual conference now. He is particularly proud that LARAC confirmed its place on the national stage during his term of office with a place at the waste summit organised by the then secretary of state, Margaret Beckett.
He says with a note of enthusiasm that the organisation provides a great resource for local authority recycling officers to come together and discuss common interests.
“The organisation does a really good job. CIWM is spread over the whole industry and NAWDO does its work well but on the disposal and treatment side. LARAC has remained strong and over the years has become more proactive.”
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