ITEM 4

PAPER NO. WRWA 634

WESTERN RIVERSIDE WASTE AUTHORITY

MEETING

25th June 2009

REPORT AUTHOR/DATE

General Manager (Mark Broxup - Tel. 020 8871 2788) 17th June 2009

SUBJECT

General Manager’s report outlining progress with operations and other matters since the previous meeting of the Authority

CONTENTS

Page 1 Executive Summary Pages 1 to 13 Items being reported on Page 13 Recommendations

STATUS

Open - circulation of this paper is not restricted.

BACKGROUND PAPERS

None

This page is left blank intentionally.

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1. This paper brings Members up to date on operational and other matters which, in

themselves, do not warrant production of a separate paper. The majority of these matters are for Members' information but, where approval is sought, this is referred to in the report. The specific matters covered in this report are as follows:-

a) Operations b) Food Waste and WRATE c) Definition of Municipal Waste d) Battersea Power Station e) Batteries Directive f) WEEE Regulations g) Waste Management Strategies h) Landfill Tax i) Legal Services j) Green 500 awards k) Detritus Waste l) London Waste and Recycling Board m) Recycling Performance n) Deputy Treasurer Appointment o) Recycle Western Riverside II p) Items between £5,000 and £30,000

OPERATIONS 2. Services have run smoothly since the last meeting of the Authority with no significant

incidences of disruption. As reported elsewhere on this agenda, construction of the new Materials Recycling Facility is continuing at the Authority’s Smugglers Way site but it has proved possible, as planned, for the construction work to proceed without impeding the transfer station operations. The temporary bulking facility for recyclables on Feathers Wharf is operating well.

FOOD WASTE AND WRATE Lambeth Trial 3. At the previous meeting of the Authority (Paper No. WRWA 627) Members were

informed that measures had been put into place for the London Borough of Lambeth to deliver food waste from a trial area to the SITA Limited transfer station at Mitcham in the London Borough of Merton for onward transfer to the Countrystyle Composting Limited In Vessel Composting (IVC) facility at Ridham Dock near Sittingbourne, Kent.

4. Lambeth now intends to launch their food waste collection pilot on 6th July 2009 and it

will cover 8,600 properties, a mix of individual households, converted properties, flats above shops and small blocks of flats to give a representative mix of demographics and housing types.

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WRATE 5. The Waste and Resources Assessment Tool for the Environment (WRATE) is a life

cycle software tool for evaluating the environmental aspects of waste management activities during their whole life. WRATE was designed by the Environment Agency in conjunction with DEFRA and ERM (Environmental Resources Management – a leading provider of environmental and associated services) to assist local authorities develop their waste management strategies. WRATE measures the impact on the environment of the impact of municipal waste from the point of collection to either the point of final disposal or to a point where the material is available to be re-used.

6. Borough technical officers requested that Authority officers use WRATE to compare the

waste treatment processes for dealing with Food Waste and highlight the environmental benefits and burdens of each process. A WRATE model was therefore created by the Authority that has been reviewed and verified by Fichtner, a consultant with WRATE expertise. The model uses four scenarios for comparison as follows:

(a) Anaerobic Digestion (b) Waste to Energy Incineration (Belvedere) (c) In vessel Composting (d) Home Composting

7. At the request of Lambeth Council officers the scenarios are set up as if Lambeth is the

collection authority operating the services and much of the data entered into the model has been obtained from Lambeth.

8. WRATE includes a “normalisation” function which analyses the primary environmental

impacts (which are briefly described in the table below) against the number of “average” European people who would cause the same impact over the course of a year. The results of this normalisation function against the four scenarios modelled are shown graphically in Appendix A.

9. As Appendix A shows, there is little significant difference in terms of the environmental

benefits or burdens between (a) (b) and (c). However, Home composting does have a greater negative effect on the environment in terms of excess acidification and eutropication.

10. These results mirror those reported by Brighton and Hove Council in May 2009

http://present.brighton-hove.gov.uk/Published/C00000286/M00001369/AI00006985/$Item144Appendix1.docA.ps.pdf

when it assessed the sustainability of different food waste collection options. Brighton and Hove’s results suggested that in terms of carbon savings alone there is no basis to distinguish between EfW combustion and separate food waste collection with Anaerobic Digestion (AD) and that overall an Energy from Waste facility with no separate food waste collection had the least overall environmental impact.

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Environmental Impacts Abiotic Resource Depletion Abiotic are resources that are non living,

such as metals, energy and water. Global Warming This is the increase in the average

temperature of the Earth's near-surface air and oceans caused by greenhouse gases that cause heat radiation to be reflected and retained in the atmosphere rather than being lost into space. The main contributor to global warming is carbon dioxide.

Human Toxicity This is the impact that toxic effects such as pollutants have on human health.

Freshwater Aquatic Ecotoxicity This is the impact that chemicals and pollutants have on fresh water courses.

Acidification The creation of excessive acid levels in soil and sea caused by chemicals, carbon dioxide and other pollutants.

Eutrophication This is the effect that excessive chemical nutrients and compounds containing nitrogen or phosphorus have on land or in water.

DEFINITION OF MUNICIPAL WASTE 11. In February 2009 DEFRA formally announced its intention to re-consult on changing the

definition of municipal waste used in the Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme (LATS). DEFRA’s initial timetable was to publish a consultation document (including draft Regulations) for a 12 week consultation period in the Spring but this has now slipped until “after the summer”. However, DEFRA still says that its intention is to introduce amended legislation later in the year, with the new definition to take effect from 1st April 2010.

BATTERSEA POWER STATION 12. Officers and senior management from Cory Environmental Limited (who operate the

Authority’s transfer stations) have held meetings recently with the Treasury Holdings Group (the owners of the Battersea Power Station site), with respect to the long term future of the Authority’s Cringle Dock Transfer Station. General information on Treasury Holdings development proposals can be found at:

http://www.battersea-powerstation.com

13. It has been explained to Treasury Holdings that a river-based transfer station in this

location is essential to the Authority’s operations but that the Authority would be prepared to listen to any suggestions as to how the existing site could be improved to the benefit of all parties.

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14. As a consequence, Treasury Holdings has commissioned a conceptual plan, as shown at Appendix B, of how a new transfer station might be constructed for the Authority at a position slightly to the east of the existing facility. This new transfer station would form an integral part of a new residential/office block. There would then be some form of land swap carried out that would enable Treasury Holdings to profitably redevelop the Authority’s existing site. Under that scenario, the Authority and Cory would benefit from having a new transfer station to replace the current one which was constructed in 1972 (after which, in 1991, it was converted from pulverisation to compaction technology) and Treasury Holdings would be able to better market its new development.

15. Officers have carried out visits to transfer stations run by the North London Waste

Authority and the City of London to ascertain what difficulties might arise from situating transfer stations within office and/or residential complexes and to what extent they can be overcome.

16. Discussions are at an early stage but Members are recommended to instruct officers to

continue exploring the potential for the Authority to benefit from any proposals that Treasury Holdings might make in line with the approach adopted in relation to proposals from previous owners of the site.

BATTERIES DIRECTIVE 17. Currently around 3% of portable batteries in the UK are recycled but the Government

must ensure that at least 25% of all waste portable batteries are collected for recycling by 2012 and 45% by 2016. In May 2009 the Government published its guidance in respect of The Waste Batteries and Accumulators Regulations 2009 and the document is directed primarily at Battery Compliance Schemes (BCSs).

18. Local authorities do not have obligations under the Batteries Regulations nor do BCSs

have to work with local authorities but, despite this, the Government believes that there are potential benefits for BCSs and local authorities if they co-operate on portable batteries collection.

19. The Government believes that local authorities could be key partners for schemes

because of their collection infrastructure, expertise in waste collection and potential access to batteries in household waste and, even if a local authority and BCS decide not to offer kerbside collection, they may be able to work together on batteries collection at Civic Amenity sites, in public buildings like libraries and council buildings or on publicity for local residents.

20. Local authorities are free to work with a different scheme than they do under the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) regulations. The choice will depend on what is right for each local authority, subject to their current contractual arrangements.

21. The Environment Agency had received eight applications by the 31st May 2009 deadline

from companies looking to run a BCS and the list is dominated by existing WEEE producer compliance schemes, including DHL which removes the Authority’s WEEE as a sub-contractor to the Authority’s contractor, Cory Environmental Limited. The

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Environment Agency will issue its decision on which schemes have been approved on 30th September 2009.

22. From 1st February 2010, distributors supplying over 32kg a year of portable batteries, are

required to publicise that they will “takeback” the waste batteries at no charge. WEEE REGULATIONS 23. At the last meeting of the Authority (Paper No. WRWA 627) Members approved the

Authority’s response to the Government’s consultation, issued by the Department for Business Enterprise & Regulatory Reform (BERR), on proposals to amend the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulations 2006 as amended by the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (Amendment) Regulations 2007.

24. On 7th April 2009 BERR (for information BERR has now become part of the new

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills) published a consultation on the European Commission proposals to recast the EC Directives on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) and on the Restriction of the use of certain Hazardous Substances in electrical and electronic equipment (RoHS). The closing date for responses was 13th May 2009 and a draft response was sent that mirrored the Authority’s response to the previous consultation document. Members are recommended to confirm this response which is attached as Appendix C.

WASTE MANGEMENT STRATEGIES 25. In February 2009 DEFRA announced that it would be consulting in the autumn on the

future of the duty contained in Section 32 of the Waste and Emissions Trading Act 2003 for local authorities in two-tier areas, such as this Authority and its constituent councils, to produce Joint Municipal Waste Management Strategies (JMWMS).

26. The Government believes this review is necessary as two of the exemptions to the duty,

Comprehensive Performance Assessments and statutory recycling targets, were abolished when the Department of Communities and Local Government introduced the new Local Authority Performance Framework which commenced on 1st April 2009.

27. On 8th April 2009, Isabel Dedring, the Mayor of London’s Environment Director, wrote to

the Chief Executives of each of the constituent councils asking for their initial views on the Mayor’s Municipal Waste Management Strategy prior to a draft being produced for the London Assembly and Functional Body consultation in the summer of 2010. The Authority was not consulted directly but a copy of Wandsworth’s letter is attached as Appendix D.

28. Technical Officers suggested that this was an opportunity to demonstrate partnership and

joint working and Authority officers were asked to draft a joint response which was subsequently agreed by each of the constituent councils and is attached as Appendix E.

29. The letter from Isabel Dedring also indicates that publication of the final Mayor’s

Municipal Waste Management Strategy should be expected by summer 2010. It is

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proposed that the scheduled review of the Joint Municipal Waste Management Strategy of the Riverside Waste Partnership – comprising the Authority and participating constituent council (if still appropriate following the proposed DEFRA consultation described in paragraphs 22 and 23 above) should follow in due course after publication of the Mayor’s Strategy as the Partnership will need to take into account that Strategy when reviewing its own joint strategy.

30. On 29th April 2009, the Mayor launched his formal review of the London Plan. The

London Plan Initial Proposals set out the Mayor’s vision for the capital, his planning objectives and a series of policy directions for London’s development through to 2031, setting the scene for a full draft of the Plan which will be consulted on in the autumn of 2009.

31. This document gives an insight into what principles are likely to underpin the Municipal

Waste Management Strategy and it is encouraging to note that the Mayor believes that making better use of waste has a major role to play in tackling climate change and that London’s waste is potentially a valuable resource that can be exploited for London’s benefit. The document declares that waste should not be viewed solely as a disposal problem. However, rather than focusing on particular waste treatment technologies the Mayor will consider environmental outcomes for London.

32. The Mayor also intends to update data on projected waste arisings and may revise targets

in the Plan as a consequence. 33. In reviewing the London Plan the Mayor proposes to:

manage as much of London’s waste within London as practicable;

create positive environmental impacts from waste processing; commission new, independent, borough level projections of London’s waste

arisings; review the definition of waste to be managed in London; adopt a more flexible approach to self sufficiency so that the carbon outcome of

the treatment method and transportation are given greater consideration; adopt a ‘zero waste to landfill outside London’ aspiration; set new recycling/composting targets; use the existing waste apportionment methodology; use the preference for new and emerging technologies but shift towards output-

based specification to ensure the best possible environmental outcomes; and

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move towards fewer, larger waste sites – protect existing waste sites, and work collaboratively with boroughs to identify strategic sites with waste management potential to capitalise on economic opportunities.

LANDFILL TAX LEGISLATION 34. The standard rate of landfill tax is set at £40 per tonne for 2009/10 and in this year’s

Budget it was announced that this will continue to rise annually at a rate of £8 per tonne until 2013/14 when it will reach £72 per tonne. The lower rate of landfill tax, applying to inactive wastes, will be frozen at £2.50 per tonne for 2010-11.

35. In the Budget it was also announced that landfill operators can continue to divert up to 6%

of their annual landfill tax liability into the landfill communities fund and the Authority’s contractor, Cory Environmental Limited, has confirmed that it intends to continue to supply funding of £200,000 per annum to the Western Riverside Environmental Fund for the foreseeable future.

36. In April 2009 HM Treasury and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) issued a joint

consultation document entitled “Modernising Landfill Tax Legislation”. The closing date for responses is 24th July 2009 and the Government’s intention is to amend the legislation as part of the Finance Bill 2010. A copy of the consultation document can be found at

http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/Budget2009/bud09_landfill_tax_964.pdf

37. The Government believes that in light of changes in environmental protection legislation

and waste management industry practices, it is now necessary to review and update the following two key aspects of landfill tax legislation:

the definition of a taxable disposal of waste at a landfill site; and the definition of wastes that should qualify for the lower rate of tax.

38. The first aspect arises primarily as a result of the Court of Appeal ruling in favour of

Waste Recycling Group (WRG) against HMRC in relation to Landfill Tax that WRG paid for inert materials which were used for daily cover and site engineering purposes.

39. The Court agreed with WRG's argument that the inert material had not been disposed of

and the Government is now legislating to re-include much of this material within the scope of landfill tax from 1st September 2009. This does not impact upon the Authority’s operations and it is concerned with landfill site operations, which lie outside the Authority’s area of direct operational experience.

40. The second aspect is needed to update the landfill tax legislation to reflect recent

developments in European legislation on what constitutes inert waste. A number of wastes, including bottom ash produced from Energy from Waste (EfW) Facilities, that are currently lower rated may not be inert in terms of European legislation and would, as a consequence, cease to qualify for the lower rate of landfill tax.

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41. This proposed waste reclassification is unlikely to have any immediate impact on the Authority’s finances but a reclassification of bottom ash might lead to an increase in future Authority costs although it is anticipated that the majority of the bottom ash from the Belvedere EfW Facility will be recycled into products for the construction industry and only a small tonnage will need to be landfilled.

42. The proposal to regularise landfill tax legislation with current European waste definitions

is logical although there is potentially a negative financial consequence to Authority in the longer term.

43. The consultation document says that the Government recognises that there may be a case

for transitional arrangements to assist in managing the impact of wastes moving from the lower rate to the standard rate of tax. The Government suggests that a delay of one year would provide an opportunity to find alternative waste management options for the wastes in question. The Government also suggests an alternative approach whereby a separate transitional rate is set for a given time.

44. Experience would suggest that a one year deferral would not provide sufficient time for

alternative waste options to be developed, particularly given the inbuilt delays associated with the UK’s planning framework. Accordingly, it is proposed that officers be instructed to respond to the consultation by arguing that a more realistic timeframe for deferral would be between 5 and 10 years. Any shorter period could result in a new financial burden being placed on local authorities – and consequently hard-pressed council tax payers – without good reason, during an economic downturn that is increasing financial pressure on both the public sector and individual council tax payers.

LEGAL SERVICES 45. At its November 2008 meeting the Authority considered a report forming part of the

Authority’s Corporate Governance Review (Paper No. WRWA 625) that reviewed the Authority’s position with regard to contracted-out services and made recommendations for the competitive tendering of those services, including legal services.

46. It was agreed that legal services related to the Authority’s Waste Management Services

Agreement with Cory Environmental Ltd. would not be subject to a competitive process immediately (it being indicated in the report that was not likely to occur until the Belvedere EfW facility was complete or possibly until the project was refinanced, if that took place after completion). However, it was agreed that with respect to public law advice and the provision of general legal services those would be subject to a fees tender process. It was also agreed the Clerk would be authorised to select the legal firms (a minimum of three) to be invited to tender with respect to the services and that DLA Piper LLP would be included as one of the firms to be invited and also that authorisation for the appointment would be dealt with under the Standing Order No. 38 procedure following analysis of the tenders.

47. Accordingly a letter inviting tenders was sent to six legal firms. Bids were not received

from Wragge and Co LLP and Beachcroft LLP but the following four firms returned compliant bids and, on the basis of their bid documentation, all except Taylor Wessing LLP were invited to interview:

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Trowers and Hamlins LLP (TH) Pinsent Masons LLP (PM) DLA Piper LLP (DLA) Taylor Wessing LLP

48. Representatives from the three firms were interviewed over 18th and 19th March 2009 by

the Clerk, Treasurer and General Manager. 49. In terms of cost, there was very little to choose between the three firms tendering although

DLA Piper’s proposal was based around the use, where possible, of regional lawyers and electronic communications for routine work.

50. It was also clear from bid documentation, and the subsequent interviews, that all three

legal firms had the requisite depth and range of legal knowledge necessary to advise the Authority.

51. Following detailed analysis of the bids received it was proposed that Trowers and

Hamlins be appointed to provide the required services and authorisation for this appointment was received under the Standing Order No. 38 authorisation procedure (Authorisation No. 84). It was considered that their bid offered best value in terms of fees levels, discounts, and the service being offered.

52. Trowers and Hamlins have been appointed to act on the Authority’s behalf from 1st April 2009 for a period of three financial years.

DETRITUS WASTE 53. Under the Authority’s contract with Cory, detritus waste is currently disposed of to

landfill but, as this waste can be extremely wet, it will not be ideally suited to treatment at the Belvedere EfW Facility when it comes on stream.

54. Cory has therefore suggested that this material could be sent to a recycling facility

operated by FM Conway Limited in Dartford, Kent. FM Conway has developed a unique drainage treatment plant designed to process and treat gully waste and road sweepings and to render their constituents safe and suitable for reuse, with the result that less than 5% of drainage waste, mainly litter, is now disposed of in landfill. The plant is capable of treating 30,000 tonne of gully waste per year and involves an innovative process, probably the first of its kind in the UK, that enables the recovery of valuable aggregates, organics, hydrocarbons and even scrap metal.

55. The Authority currently handles around 6,000 tonnes of detritus waste each year and the

price quoted by Cory would represent a saving of around £2.50 per tonne to the Authority compared to the current landfill cost. This value of this saving will increase in future years as landfill tax is set to rise annually by £8 per tonne (see paragraph 34) and the recycling of this material will also reduce the Authority’s usage of LATS allowances. Some of the material treated in this way may also count towards constituent councils recycling performance for National Indicators.

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56. Members are therefore recommended to instruct officers to negotiate a Variation with Cory in respect of detritus waste and approve that such a Variation be authorised under the SO38 procedure.

GREEN 500 AWARD 57. On 12th June 2009 Cory Environmental Limited, received two Green 500 awards at a

ceremony hosted by the Mayor of London. The Green 500 initiative was established by the London Development Agency to encourage bigger businesses in London to reduce their carbon footprint and collectively reduce their carbon emissions by 1.5 billion tonnes by 2012. Cory were awarded a gold award for their Charlton Bargeworks site and a silver award for the Smugglers Way Transfer Station. Cory have assessed the levels of carbon emissions from both sites over the past year and used the data to develop action plans to manage and reduce emissions. They plan to roll out a company wide carbon reduction policy over the next 12 months.

LONDON WASTE AND RECYCLING BOARD (LWaRB) 58. At its 5th May 2009 meeting the LWaRB revealed that it had received 142 expressions of

interest from waste projects within the capital in its first funding round. The total value of the projects was reported as being £1.6 billion and £380 million worth of funding was being sought from the LWaRB (the Board currently only has a total of £84 million committed to it by the Government and the Mayor of London). Applications are now set to be reviewed and, at an as yet undetermined date, potentially successful bidders will be asked to produce businesses cases.

59. The Board decided that there would be £2 million annually ring-fenced for the delivery of

projects set to cost under £200,000 and, of that, £400,000 would be earmarked for a ‘micro-fund' for projects costing under £5,000. It was also agreed at the meeting that the Board's Investment Committee should grant approval for the projects under £200,000, including local community-led, grassroots schemes, to help start delivering results as quickly as possible. There was, however, some concern expressed by Members of the Board as to the arrangements that would need to be put in place to ensure the proper monitoring and scrutiny of these smaller awards.

60. The Board also agreed to enter the Joint European Support for Sustainable Investment in

City Areas (JESSICA) which is a match-funding programme initiative between the European Commission and the European Investment Bank. This would allow a further £18 million to be unlocked to develop waste management infrastructure, and would be used in tandem to the Board's existing fund to help deliver projects in London.

Reuse Project 61. Officers have continued to explore potential options for the development of Reuse

infrastructure project in partnership with the third sector that will be eligible to receive funds from the London Waste and Recycling Board (LWaRB) and other possible funding streams. Groundwork UK, an environmental regeneration charity (and the administrator of the Western Riverside Environmental Fund (WREF)), and the London Community Recycling Network (LCRN) have both expressed an interest in becoming partners along

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with the Authority and its constituent councils. Groundwork UK has considerable expertise creating training and employment schemes for the long term unemployed. LCRN is a third sector network that includes charities, social enterprises and community organisations.

62. The three main objectives of the project proposal are ;

to increase the reuse of furniture and appliances; to develop a facility that will create training and employment opportunities

through transferable vocational skills by the handling of reuse items; and to increase waste prevention awareness and attempt to change attitudes about

Reuse across the Authority area. 63. The next deadline to submit an Expression of Interest to LWaRB is 11th August 2009

which allows the Board to make a preliminary assessment of the proposals before a decision is made at its next meeting on 29th September 2009.

64. On approval of an Expression of Interest the Board will require a detailed funding

application. Expressions of interests should be no more than 1000 words and describe:

the proposal, including whether it is additional to current activity or a new proposal/solution and what stage of development it is at;

how the proposal aligns with the Board's business plan;

the potential benefits and outputs; and

the delivery risks.

65. Members are therefore being asked to approve that officer’s work with Groundwork UK

and LCRN to produce and submit an Expression of Interest funding application to the LWaRB before 11th August 2009. If successful, a detailed funding application will be bought to a future meeting of the Authority for approval.

RECYCLING PERFORMANCE 66. Subject to audit and review by WasteDataFlow the anticipated outturn performance for

each authority in 2008/09 against the three national waste and recycling indicators are shown in the table overleaf:

191 - Residual household waste per household 192 - Percentage of household waste sent for reuse, recycling and composting 193 - Percentage of municipal waste landfilled

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2008/09 Outturn (subject to audit)

Authority National Indicator 191 (kg)

National Indicator 192 (%)

National Indicator 193 (%)

Hammersmith and Fulham 751 27.87 N/A Kensington and Chelsea 676 30.16 N/A Lambeth 579 24.2 N/A Wandsworth 551 26.57 N/A CA Sites N/A 29.1 N/A WRWA Overall 639 27.58 78.16

* Included for comparative purposes not reported separately under the formal scheme.

DEPUTY TREASURER APPOINTMENT 67. Wandsworth Council has acted as lead borough to the Authority since its inception in

1986. In terms of finance, the Treasurer acts as the “Responsible Finance Officer” with powers under Section 114 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988. The Treasurer’s post is a direct Authority appointment. To perform his duties on a day-to-day basis and to act in his absence, as required, the Treasurer is supported by a Deputy Treasurer. The Deputy Treasurer is not an Authority appointment and is selected to act in this capacity by Wandsworth Council under the lead borough arrangements. The costs of the Deputy Treasurer are recovered by Wandsworth through a Service Level Agreement according to the input required.

68. The current Deputy Treasurer, Mr. Dennis Berridge, has been involved with the

Authority since its inception, initially as Accountant and subsequently as Deputy Treasurer. Mr. Berridge has given notice of his intention to retire at the end of September 2009. Wandsworth Council accordingly advertised his post, which combines his role for the Authority with duties as a service Financial Controller for Wandsworth, nationally. Following an interviewing process, Ms. Katherine Burston, B Soc.Sc., CPFA, currently also a service Financial Controller at Wandsworth, has been selected to replace Mr Berridge in his dual role with effect from 1st October 2009. Confirmation of Ms. Burston’s appointment as Deputy Treasurer took place following consultation with the previous Chairman of the Authority, Councillor Coleridge.

RECYCLE WESTERN RIVERSIDE II 69. The Recycle Western Riverside Campaign (RWR) work falls into two categories: the

Core Works Programme and the Additional Works Programme. The following provides a summary of the core works carried out between January and March 2009. All the additional works projects were completed by the end of the third quarter.

Core Work Programme 2008/09 70. The ‘Recycle at School’ campaign team visited 22 primary schools and met with 172

classes (this is a total of 5160 children). These visits consist of introducing new schools to the campaign and revisiting schools that are already signed up to the campaign in order to sustain interest. These school visits are followed up by an RWR Education Officer

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consulting with the schools facilities staff to ensure that recycling schemes are in place and are operating correctly.

71. An Interactive White Board resource has been developed by the RWR team for the

schools programme which is an advanced presentation package of animated slides based around a character called Charlie and the choices he makes about waste as he goes about his daily life.

72. The new RWR website has seen 10,000 visits per quarter since it was revamped in

October 2008. News items now include the increased recycling rates on Clem Atlee Estate in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham and the construction of the Materials Recycling Facility at Smugglers Way.

Love Food Hate Waste Campaign 73. Following the successful bid to the Government’s Waste Recycling Action Programme

(WRAP) to fund a regional “Love Food Hate Waste” (LFHW) campaign in the Authority’s area, events to promote the campaign continued to run from January to March 2009. Outdoor advertising ran in a two week burst from 12th to 25th January and shopping trolley panels carried adverts throughout January 2009. Officers plan to submit a second bid to WRAP to operate a second campaign in late summer but WRAP have indicated that some match funding will be mandatory. The constituent boroughs have offered up resources that will meet the requirements of the match funding so there will be no need for the Authority to make a contribution.

ITEMS COSTING BETWEEN £5,000 AND £30,000 74. The following items of expenditure have been authorised by officers under delegated

powers within the band range of £5,000 to £30,000 since the last Authority meeting.

a) Kingston Communications Computer Systems - Waste £11,850 Management System Maintenance

b) Zurich Municipal Insurance Premiums – All Risks –2009/10 £14,316

c) Dorset Software Computer systems and accessories £9,696

d) Holben Software Provision of IT Services and Advice £10,000

e) Price Waterhouse Coopers LLP - Audit Services £30,000

RECOMMENDATIONS 75. The Authority is recommended to:

a) instruct officers to continue to explore the potential for the Authority to benefit from any proposals that Treasury Holdings might make in relation to the Cringle Dock Transfer Station (reported in paragraphs 12 to 16 above);

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b) confirm the Authority’s response to BERR’s consultation on the European

Commission proposals to recast the EC Directives on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) and on the Restriction of the use of certain Hazardous Substances in electrical and electronic equipment (RoHS) (attached as appendix C to this report).

c) instruct officers that a review of the Authority’s own Joint Municipal Waste

Management Strategy should be deferred until publication of the final Mayor’s Municipal Waste Management Strategy which is expected by summer 2010 (if still appropriate following the proposed DEFRA consultation described in paragraphs 25 to 33 above);

d) instruct officers to respond to the Government consultation entitled

“Modernising Landfill Tax Legislation” by proposing that a more realistic timeframe for reclassification of specified inert wastes from the lower tax band to the standard rate would be between 5 and 10 years so as to allow time to develop alternative waste management options, rather than the one year deferral proposed by the Government (reported in paragraphs 36to 44).

e) instruct officers to negotiate a Variation with Cory in respect of detritus waste

and approve that such a Variation be authorised under the SO38 procedure (reported in paragraphs 53 to 55).

f) approve the submission of an Expression of Interest funding application to the

London Waste and Recycling Board with respect to a furniture and appliance reuse scheme (reported in paragraphs 61 to 64); and

g) otherwise receive this report as information.

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Mark Broxup General Manager

Town Hall Wandsworth High Street LONDON SW18 2PU 17th June 2009