Issue - meetings

Report of the Cabinet Member for Waste, Recycling and Street Services

RESOLVED THAT:

1.    The opening times of the household recycling centre set out below be approved, to better reflect post-pandemic site usage with effect from 1 February 2023 with no summer or wintertime variations:

Monday – 8.30am – 4pm

Tuesday – 8.30am – 4pm

Wednesday – CLOSED in line with Gloucestershire County Council sites

Thursday– 8.30am – 4pm

Friday – 8.30am – 4pm

Saturday – 8.30am – 3pm

Sunday – 9am to 12 noon

2.    Authority be delegated to the Director-Place and Communities, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Waste, Recycling and Street services, to:

a)    take all necessary steps to implement recommendation 1, these measures may include the introduction of a booking system for HRC users;

b)    implement initiatives to maximise waste reduction, re-use and recycling opportunities for residents in Cheltenham to support its climate emergency priority.

The Cabinet Member Waste, Recycling and Street Services presented the report, noting that provision of Household Recycling Centres (HRCs) was a statutory requirement for the county council under the Environmental Protection Act of 1990. GCC provided five HRCs across the county, with the site at Wingmoor Farm in Bishop's Cleeve being the closest to Cheltenham borough. While the borough council had no statutory requirement to provide an HRC, they continued to entirely fund the Swindon Road site for the sole use of residents. CBC was the only district council in Gloucestershire, and maybe the only one nationally, to provide a discretionary and high quality HRC, enhancing the offer for Cheltenham residents, supporting corporate priorities related to the environment and encouraging residents to recycle and reduce waste.

Following the pandemic, much had changed for residents and for the council. Given the reduction in site usage and increasing budgetary pressures, it was appropriate to review the HRC and its post-pandemic usage, along with cost of providing its services. The results of previous public consultations and site usage data had informed the report, which recommended a reduction in site opening hours to deliver the financial savings required. The proposed changes to opening hours would reduce energy costs to support the climate emergency and relieve budget pressures by approximately £35k per year.

He added that exploring the introduction of a wider range of recycling opportunities at the HRC would support their ambition to reduce amount of residual waste disposed of at the site, and provide opportunities with partners to promote behaviour change around waste reduction and reuse as well as recycling.

The Cabinet Member Economic Development, Culture, Tourism and Wellbeing reiterated that the borough council provided the HRC on a discretionary basis, and was going above and beyond as the only council in the county and maybe the country to do so. The proposed changes were sensible in the current circumstances.

The Leader moved to the vote, where it was unanimously:

RESOLVED THAT:

1.    The opening times of the household recycling centre set out below be approved, to better reflect post-pandemic site usage with effect from 1 February 2023 with no summer or wintertime variations:

Monday – 8.30am – 4pm

Tuesday – 8.30am – 4pm

Wednesday – CLOSED in line with Gloucestershire County Council sites

Thursday– 8.30am – 4pm

Friday – 8.30am – 4pm

Saturday – 8.30am – 3pm

Sunday – 9am to 12 noon

2.    Authority be delegated to the Director-Place and Communities, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Waste, Recycling and Street services, to:

a)    take all necessary steps to implement recommendation 1, these measures may include the introduction of a booking system for HRC users;

b)    implement initiatives to maximise waste reduction, re-use and recycling opportunities for residents in Cheltenham to support its climate emergency priority.