Agenda item

Briefing Note from the Director of City Services.

The Board considered a briefing note from the Director of City Services that provided an update on the plans for the introduction of a separate food waste collection service across the city.

In October 2023 the Government announced the new Simpler Recycling Reforms introducing a requirement for all households to receive a weekly separate collection of food waste from April 2026.

The council received funding of £2,691,322 to cover the costs of vehicles, containers and other expenses related to the implementation of the service.

Ongoing revenue funding to cover the additional costs of delivering the service was received as part of the overall budget settlement for 2026/2027.

The new service was to commence for all Coventry residents from September 2026. Officers emphasised the importance of education and appropriate preparation for the incoming changes and noted the hiring of a new Waste Education Team to assist in this.

In considering the briefing note, the Board questioned officers and the Cabinet Member, received responses, and discussed matters as summarised below:

• Concerns about collections from flats - 5?litre caddies will be provided to all flats, with some larger caddies available to encourage use. Individual circumstances will be considered.
• Missed collections and concerns about food waste sitting for too long, especially affecting hygiene - it was confirmed that communications will clarify acceptable bags/liners.
• Issues for elderly residents highlighted that assisted collections are available and will continue
• Anaerobic Digestion (AD) capacity and location – whether there is sufficient AD capacity, referencing historic issues. It was noted that there were contracts in place with regional providers (e.g., Severn Trent), that facilities can handle 45,000 tonnes, with no current capacity issues and that food waste generates electricity and fertiliser.
• Concerns about contamination, e.g., kitchen peelings wrongly placed in garden waste and that communications will emphasise putting the right waste in the right bin. Importance of tackling contamination and promoting resident buy-in emphasised
• That garden waste and food waste are processed differently; messaging will highlight sustainability benefits. Home composting will continue to be promoted.
• Discussion around the 5?day collection cycle:

• Challenges around transition from 4?day to 5?day working:

o  Need to recruit for new patterns.

o  Balancing staff welfare (climate impacts, long days) with service needs.

o  Union implications noted.

• Queries about whether residents want the service, however food waste collection is statutory, unlike garden waste.
• Strong calls for simplified messaging for residents with a preference for implementing changes in one go, rather than incrementally.

RESOLVED that the Communities and Neighbourhoods Scrutiny Board (4) recommend that the Cabinet Member for City Services:

1)  Note their support of the actions undertaken to date and the further activities scheduled for completion prior to the implementation of the new service.

2)  Ensure that clear communication and messaging of the new food waste collection is shared with residents.

3)  Food waste collection be added to the work programme to include KPIs as an update once rollout of the new service has taken place.