Issue - meetings

Report of the Cabinet Member Clean and Green Environment

RESOLVED THAT

Cabinet approve the purchase of 2 Romaquip recycling vehicles funded from within existing capital budgets to maintain the existing service and provide operational resilience, resulting in a total fleet size of 13 vehicles:

(1)  The Romaquip recycling vehicle (currently in use by Cheltenham Borough Council) on hire from Cotswold District Council for the sum of £138,644.02;

(2)  One new Romaquip recycling vehicle for the sum of £139,178.79, as a spare vehicle to avoid the need for mixed recycling collections when a recycling vehicle from the current fleet is out of service for any reason.

The Cabinet Member Clean and Green Environment introduced the report and explained that the redesigned recycling service launched in October 2017 enabled residents to recycle more materials at kerbside.

Whilst an increase in recycling was forecast as a result, the scale of the increase was not foreseen. This represented a success for the service, however additional resource was required and in early 2018 a spare recycling vehicle was hired from Cotswold District Council to provide additional recycling capacity to ensure all collections could be completed on the scheduled collection day.

The recycling service was currently operating without a spare vehicle which was causing difficulties in completing rounds particularly when more than one vehicle was off the road at any one time. To date a refuse vehicle had been used to collect recycling in the absence of a spare recycling vehicle, resulting in the need to collect mixed recycling materials in the vehicle which was then sorted into separate recycling materials when tipped. This method had caused negative public feedback.

To address the issue it was proposed that investments should be made from within existing capital budgets to purchase additional Romaquip recycling vehicles, the Romaquip vehicle on hire from Cotswold District Council and a new Romaquip recycling vehicle. This would maintain the existing service and provide operational resilience, resulting in a total fleet size of 13 vehicles. The Cabinet Member added that current household recycling performance was 53 % and this could develop further. He reported that in due course there would be consultation on a range of issues connected with environmental services including waste and recycling. He also added that it may be possible to operate weekly recycling services using the existing fleet, subject to a supporting business case.

Finally, the Cabinet Member wished to put on record his thanks to officers involved in bringing this proposal forward.

RESOLVED THAT

Cabinet approve the purchase of 2 Romaquip recycling vehicles funded from within existing capital budgets to maintain the existing service and provide operational resilience, resulting in a total fleet size of 13 vehicles:

(1)  The Romaquip recycling vehicle (currently in use by Cheltenham Borough Council) on hire from Cotswold District Council for the sum of £138,644.02;

(2)  One new Romaquip recycling vehicle for the sum of £139,178.79, as a spare vehicle to avoid the need for mixed recycling collections when a recycling vehicle from the current fleet is out of service for any reason.