Blue Bag Question Time at Council. Krupa Sheth responds claiming 50% increase in paper & card tonnage in October

 

Brent Council guidance

 

Opposition and backbench councillor's are able to ask questions of Lead Members at Brent Full Council. The answers are published in advance and the questioner has one minute to ask a follow-up question live. Suggestions for follow-up questions welcomed in comments below the article.

Question from Councillor Hirani to Councillor Krupa Sheth (Cabinet Member for Environment, Infrastructure & Climate Action):

 

Given the serious concerns being raised by residents across the borough with regards to the Blue Bag Recycling Scheme will the Cabinet Member for Environment, Infrastructure and Climate Action agree to commission an independent report on the roll out of the scheme and its financial implications. It does not appear that this scheme has been properly thought through and should

therefore be suspended until a full investigation and report can be provided to Full Council. This is strongly backed by an e-Petition with over 2000 signatures demanding the scheme be cancelled.

 

In advance of this, can the Cabinet Member for Environment, Infrastructure and Climate Action also address the following operational issues:

 ANSWER

We have seen a 50% increase in tonnage of paper and cardboard collected through October, the first month of the new service. By removing paper and cardboard from the dry mixed recycling stream, contamination is at a low 1%.
 

The higher quality of paper and cardboard collected results in higher rates of fibre recycled. Further data and results will take at least 12 weeks to spot any additional trends.

It is important to note that recycling, even if rejected due to high contamination, does not go to landfill; any rejections are sent to an energy recovery facility. 

(1) How is it possible to keep these bags dry during the rain events we have had recently?

 

The blue sack is weighted at the bottom to avoid it being blown away and is weatherproof when the lid is fully sealed using the Velcro strips, to protect the contents inside. Please ensure the lid is sealed. Any faulty/leaking sacks will be replaced free of charge.

 

(2) Where are residents expected to store these bags?

 

The sack can be folded and stored inside when not in use or kept outside by your other bins where there is space to do so. Residents can choose whether to store their sack indoors or outdoors, so long as it is presented at the kerbside on the scheduled collection day.

 

We appreciate that not all residents will have space to store their blue sack indoors. We advise those residents to transfer their paper and flattened cardboard to the blue sack at their convenience, as they have previously done with their blue lidded recycling bin, placing it between other bin containers.

 

(3) What is expected to happen to cardboard and paper when these bags are full? Should this be placed into the Blue/Black Bin?

 

If the paper and cardboard sack becomes full, residents may present any excess paper and card in a bundle next to their sack on collection day.

 

Please do not place paper and card in your blue-lidded recycling bin, as collections crews will be instructed not to collect these bins on the same week as the blue sack.

 

Residents are advised not leave any excess cardboard out alongside their sack when rain or strong winds are predicted. Instead, we are advising those residents who continuously have more paper and cardboard for one blue sack, to order an additional sack. Residents can order a second bag or additional bags

for free.

 

(4) Residents in flats do not have these blue bags so what are they expected to do with their cardboard and paper?

 

Those in flats with shared communal bins are not part of the changes and will continue to use the large recycling bins for mixed recycling, which is being collected separately to kerbside properties.

 

(5) Was training given to Veolia when dealing with these blue bags as it appears that on some occasions the cardboard/ paper has been blown around and not collected?

 

Training has been given to collection staff ahead of the recycling collections with further training and monitoring ongoing with collection issues occurring and being reported to Veolia.

 

(6) How much does this scheme cost and are there any actual savings?

Can you show the figures?

 

The change to alternate weekly twin stream recycling collections for street level households was estimated to save the council £1.2m per annum on annual disposal costs for waste when compared to the weekly comingled recycling collection (where all recycling goes in one bin).

 

We will be monitoring the impact of the service in the coming weeks and months in order to assess the impact of the service change on our recycling and saving targets.

 

Concern over the changes to the recycling system caused Willesden Green Residents Association to hold a public meeting on the issue.

 Association Planning Representative, Sonia Locke, said: 

Everyone is pretty dissatisfied and it will be a year until anything changes. I think what we know so far is that people want to recycle and separate recycables, but this is not the way to do it. This system is simply not working.

 

 

 

UPDATED WITH NEW RESPONSES AND COMMENTS: Brent's new recycling system: Some questions and answers

Residents are receiving letters about the new recycling arrangements that will operate in Brent from October 1st.

Here are the details as they appear on the Council website:

The recycling collection changes will start from 1 October 2023

How you recycle and what you put your recyclable items in, is going to change later this year. This aims to reduce our impact on the environment, by increasing the amount of recycling we do in the borough and improving the quality of what we recycle.

What is changing

From 1 October 2023 you will need to separate your paper and cardboard out from your other recyclable items and place them in your new blue sack.

You should carry on using your blue-lidded recycling bin for all other mixed recycling (glass, cans, plastics and cartons).

All households, who currently have their own blue-lidded recycling bin, will shortly receive a free weatherproof and durable 90-litre blue sack for paper and cardboard items.

Your blue sack will be delivered ahead of collections starting. It will be left outside your property in a convenient place and a flyer will come through the door. Do not put it out for collection until the changes take affect on 1 October.

If you use communal shared bins (often those who live in flats), you will not receive a blue sack and should continue to recycle paper and cardboard in the same way.

How to use the blue recycling sack

• Place any carboard and paper in the blue recycling sack ahead of your collection date.
• Seal the sack using the Velcro-strapped lid on all three opening sides to protect the contents.
• Before 7am on the scheduled collection day, put your sacks as close to the street as possible (where you would usually place your recycling bin).
• If your blue recycling sack becomes full, you can put any excess paper and card in a bundle next to the sack on your collection day.

The sack can be folded and stored inside when not in use or kept outside by your other bins where there is space to do so.

Collection times

You will still receive a weekly recycling collection service – however, your sack and your blue-lidded bin will be collected on alternate weeks. We will provide you with a full calendar detailing your new service in September 2023, ahead of the changes.

Frequently asked questions

I currently receive assistance with my waste collections. Will this continue? 

Yes. Assisted collections will continue as normal. Your blue sack should be presented and put back in the same place as your other bins.

What happens if my blue sack collection is missed? 

Your blue recycling sack can be collected at any time up to 10pm on the day it is due to be collected. Do not report a missed bin before this time.

Please do not place paper and card in your blue-lidded bin, as collections crews will not collect these bins on the same week as the blue sack.

Can I order more blue sacks for paper and card?

We hope the size should be enough for your needs, if after use, you do need an additional sack, these can be ordered online and will need approving.

New small items collection service

From 1 October we will also be launching a free bookable small items collection, including:

• Textiles
• Small electricals
• Batteries
• Paint
• Coffee pods

We will provide more information closer to the date.

 

Some residents have asked about the blue sack's dimensions - the capacity is   90 litres and the internal dimensions are 36 x 42 x 60 cms.

Contaminated card and paper (such as pizza boxes with residual food) should be put in the grey waste bin.

As stated on the website for those with high rates of cardboard, perhaps because of a high number of deliveries due to immobolity, extra bags can be ordered. I assume this will also apply to households who read a large number of newspapers.

One family who took part in the initial pilot said:

We gave feedback that it was really difficult to undertake. We have an overcrowded kitchen & have nowhere to put another bag. Already sorting organic food waste, general recycling and  normal bin! Apart from space who has the time?! We support recycling but this is unworkable!

Another commented: 

I think if you get one large appliance delivered the card won't fit and will end up in the grey bin. In my household I suspect we would fill several in an average week, especially as so much of purchases are delivered nowadays. I do want to recycle, but I think this won't work. I wonder if Brent has tested it anywhere. I also wonder if water will get in the top when it's stacked outside.

A problem for us is that there is no space in the house to keep it. (I live with a hoarder) Once it's outside it could get filled of rainwater.

According to the website you can seal the lid of the bag  against rainwater but I suppose that may not be possible if a large amount of cardboard protrudes. The new system was tested in a pilot and there was a consultation that was challenged at Sccrutiny Call-in. LINK

The trial of a fourth bin in appropriate households, instead of a sack, has been postponed until September 2024. LINK

 The introduction of a bookable small item collection seemed to be positively received but one respondent pointed out that this would put an additional vehicle on the road.

Brent Council kindly provided some further information on these points and other issues:

With regards to additional recycling, the crews will collect large cardboard items left beside the blue sack. It’s also worth noting that with the paper and cardboard removed from the blue lidded recycling bin, there will be extra capacity in the recycling bin for more containers.

 

Residents will be able to request additional blue sacks but it is important to note that requests will be assessed prior to approval.

 

Regarding the vehicle for the small items collection service, the service will be combined with the clinical waste collections so there will not be an extra vehicle. Even if an extra vehicle is required in future the environmental benefits arising from the diversion of these items from general waste will greatly outweigh the environmental impact of their transportation.

 

Here is some further information which you might find helpful:

We considered a range of factors in deciding to roll out the blue sack from 1 October to all kerbside households in Brent, and I have set these out below.

 

Firstly, we took into account the results of the trial itself, which saw an increase in usage with the sack from 50% in the first week to 71% in the eighth week, with an exceptionally low contamination rate of 1% (i.e. wrong material put in the sack). The trial indicated that we will achieve a higher recycling rate with these changes, which will be both better for the environment and help the council save money to protect vital services for our most vulnerable residents.

 

Secondly, the overall success of the trial was borne out by the results of a survey that a market research company carried out on our behalf in February, with 10% of households that participated in the trial (500 households). The key findings of the survey were:

 

·           Almost three quarters of households interviewed said they strongly engaged with the recycling trial (73%)

·           More people were satisfied with the trial than those who were not – more than a third (36%) rated the recycling trial as good or excellent; a quarter (24%) rated their experience as poor or very poor

·           More than 8 in every 10 felt informed about how to participate in the trial and agreed it was clear what materials needed to be separated

·           Three quarters (73%) agreed the process of separating the recycling materials was easy

·           Better facilities, a better general experience, an easier process and waterproof bags would have improved residents experience of the trial

·           Weather was the main challenge with storing the sack

·           More than half (55%) agreed they would continue to use the sacks to separate recycling if the trial becomes permanent; a quarter (27%) disagreed they would continue with the scheme

 

Thirdly, we have listened to the feedback received both during the trial and from the survey and significantly improved the specification of the sack as a result.

The improved sack will provide an additional 20% capacity (the key size difference is the extra 6 cms on the width of the container), the material is much thicker and therefore more durable and it has an overlapping lid on all three sides which means it is fully waterproof when sealed.

These changes align with the main suggestions for improvements from respondents to the survey. Many trial residents felt that the sacks needed to be waterproof, made of a stronger material and that they should be bigger.

 

FOLLOWING A QUESTION TO THE COUNCIL VIA NEXT DOOR REGARDING BAGS BEING BLOWN AWAY OR LOST, BRENT COUNCIL REPLIED:

 The blue sack is weighted at the bottom to avoid it being blown away and is further weatherproof to protect the contents inside. All collection crews will be given training on handling the blue sacks, ensuring they are replaced back on the correct position at each property, along with refuse/food waste containers. If a resident’s paper and card sack was to go astray, we will replace it free of charge with a new one within 7 working days where possible.