Council's decision on green garden waste

Stratford-on-Avon District Council's Overview and Scrutiny Committee met today, Friday 13 June, to discuss the call-in of the decision of the Executive on 22 May on the option chosen for the kitchen/garden waste collection service from August 2008.  

The Overview and Scrutiny Committee (OSC) decided to refer the decision back to the Executive with the accompanying recommendation to continue further consultation with other interested partners to reduce the adverse affects of sending the garden/kitchen waste to landfill for three months.  

The Executive met straight afterwards to consider the OSC's recommendation.  After considering this the Executive decided to continue as previously agreed but asked Officers to double check with partners that there are no other options available for handling this waste.  

The option previously considered by the Executive involved collecting the kitchen/garden waste mixture in the normal way (contained within the green bin) for the busy three months of August, September and October and in the absence of the treatment plant dispose at landfill.  After this time the garden waste collection service will be suspended until April 2009 and instead the grey general rubbish bins will be collected weekly.  

"Without the new treatment plant being in place for August we were always going to be faced with having to make a difficult decision over the temporary arrangements.  However the Executive has, today confirmed that the chosen option presents the best solution of those available.  It is a case of having to take a step back before being able to take many more forwards," says Cllr Simon Jackson, Environment Portfolio Holder.    

This new service will use three wheeled bins for dry recycling, general rubbish and garden waste mixed with kitchen waste.  The dry recycling service will now include plastic bottles and cardboard of any thickness and colour.  All the recycling material will be mixed together and delivered to a new plant in Ettington for separation and sale.  

The treatment of garden waste mixed with kitchen waste requires a different process to that currently used for garden waste alone.  This process has to take place in an enclosed vessel and the process is called In-Vessel Composting (IVC).  

Overview and Scrutiny monitors and reviews the decisions of the Executive and through establishing task groups, carries out specific projects and investigations.