Issue - meetings

Cabinet Member: Growth & Infrastructure

Forward Plan Ref: 2012/141

Contact: Martin Tugwell, Deputy Director for Environment & Economy – Strategy & Infrastructure Tel: (01865) 815113

Report by Deputy Director for Environment & Economy – Strategy & Infrastructure (CA10).

n 2007 Oxfordshire Waste Partnership agreed a Joint Municipal Waste Management Strategy and action plan.  Oxfordshire councils work together through the Partnership to manage and improve waste management within the county by implementing the Strategy.

The Strategy is a high level policy document and commits to a five-yearly review to ensure that it remains current.  In 2012/13 a review of the Strategy was carried out and an updated document has been produced and consulted upon.  At the January 2013 meeting of the Partnership, the refreshed document was agreed and signed off.  It now needs to be adopted by each partner council.

The reviewed strategy celebrates our countywide successes and reaffirms the 2007 policies.  It accounts for legislative and national policy changes, aiming for improvement and cost efficiency.  The Strategy review focuses on reduction and reuse and improving our current recycling systems, aiming for continual improvement across the county.  A high level action plan for 13/14 to accompany the refreshed strategy document has also been developed.

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to

(a)       approve and adopt the revised Oxfordshire Waste Partnership Joint Municipal Waste Management Strategy

(b)       delegate authority to the Director for Environment and Economy to authorise the financial arrangement deed of variation in consultation with the Leader.

In 2007 Oxfordshire Waste Partnership agreed a Joint Municipal Waste Management Strategy and action plan. The Strategy was a high level policy document and committed to a five-yearly review to ensure that it remained current. In 2012/13 a review of the Strategy was carried out and an updated document has been produced and consulted upon. At the January 2013 meeting of the Partnership, the refreshed document was agreed and signed off. It now needs to be adopted by each partner council.

Cabinet considered the revised Oxfordshire Waste Partnership Joint Municipal Waste Management Strategy.

Councillor Patrick, Opposition Leader (speaking on behalf of Councillor Purse), referred to the list of bullet points on page 138 of the report and expressed some concern over bullet point three over the approach to environmental enforcement. She hoped that a common sense approach did not mean that fly tipping and dumping of hazardous waste would not be dealt with.

Councillor Biles in proposing the Strategy replied that they would continue to enforce against serious or persistent offenders. She highlighted that they had done better with recycling than expected being recipients of the Green Apple Gold Award. The majority of the changes in the refreshed Strategy were minor. However it should not be thought that it would be easy to maintain that high standard and the new targets were challenging. She highlighted future plans including for food waste collection from flats and that the Strategy would be monitored.

RESOLVED:             to

(a)       approve and adopt the revised Oxfordshire Waste Partnership Joint Municipal Waste Management Strategy; and

(b)       delegate authority to the Director for Environment and Economy to authorise the financial arrangement deed of variation in consultation with the Leader.