To consider approval of amendments to the Capital programme to fund vehicles required for the introduction of weekly food waste collections across the district.

A report was presented to seek Member approval for amendments to the Capital Programme to fund vehicles required for the introduction of weekly food waste collections across the district.

During his introduction of the report, Councillor Martin Foster, Portfolio Holder for Operational Services informed Members that the Environment Act 2021 introduced the Waste Reforms Programme for England, which affected all local authorities’ waste collection and disposal arrangements.  A central pillar of these reforms was ‘Simpler Recycling’ which required waste collection authorities to provide a weekly separate food waste collection to all households from April 2026.

The Council was being asked to approve amendments to the Capital Programme to enable officers to place an order in May 2025 for food waste collection vehicles to be delivered in 2026/27.

The background and full details were provided at Sections 1 and 2 of the report, pages 152 to 154 of the Agenda refer.

The recommendations were duly Proposed and Seconded.

Members were invited to put their comments and questions forward.

With regards to the new food waste collection a Member queried whether during delivery of the programme there would be something in place to discourage food waste.

In response, the Portfolio Holder for Operational Services advised that there were initiatives ongoing in the Environment Act 2021, for example looking at reduction of waste with extended producer responsibility and deposit return solutions, which would be introduced over the next 4 to 5 years.  It was hoped that there would be financial benefits from fees and charges applied for non compliance.

A Member highlighted her concerns over poor uptake with the new service, a potential increase in vermin and other pests and space for a further waste bin to be stored.  It raised a further concern of the expense for the outlay of this new waste services delivery model.

In response, the Portfolio Holder for Operational Services did not consider there would be an increase of vermin compared to the current fortnightly domestic general waste collections and confirmed that the new food waste collection would be a weekly service.  It was confirmed this would include one small internal caddy and one small external bin provided for food waste.

Members were advised further that as vehicles became more efficient and electricity became more efficient to power the vehicles, this would reduce concerns of overall costs in the future.

Whilst recognising this as a statutory requirement for residents, a Member queried whether there were any plans in the future to incorporate the commercial side of food waste.  The increasing cost of business rates was further highlighted and the charges to businesses for general waste/wheelie bins depending on the number of employees at the premises.

In response, the Portfolio Holder for Operational Services advised that he would seek information with regards to paid food waste and how it was dealt with and respond to the Member directly.

A Member queried whether it was mandatory for residents to use the food waste bins and highlighted the importance of educating people to reduce food waste.

In response, the Portfolio Holder for Operational Services advised that it would not be mandatory to put food waste out for collection on a weekly basis, however this would be encouraged wherever possible.

A further query was raised as to what happened to the food waste once it had been collected.

The Labour Group Leader shared her experience of food waste collection when she lived in Wales and welcomed this into the East Lindsey area and agreed that education was key to reduce food waste.

In response, the Portfolio Holder for Operational Services thanked the Member for her support and stated that it was good to hear that the scheme operated well in other places.

A Member raised his concern for vulnerable and elderly residents that were not physically capable to carry or move the food waste bins.

In response, the Portfolio Holder for Operational Services advised that elderly or infirm residents could contact the Council to assess their needs and receive assistance where required.

A Member raised his concerns over the reference to ‘assumed’ financing to be via prudential borrowing resulting in Minimum Revenue Provision (MRP) charges and external borrowing costs to fund the upgrade of the fleet, page 155 of the Agenda refers and queried what the position would be if the assumption did not materialise and why the Council wanted to borrow money.

In response, the Portfolio Holder for Operational Services explained that the Council was reliant on DEFRA to some extent in respect of the costs.  The Council would review these costs as the challenges arose and if a shortfall occurred the officers would work with the Section 151 Officer to deal with this.

The Portfolio Holder for Operational Services further advised Members that the teams were working very hard on the food waste initiative and that a number of studies had been undertaken for the types of vehicles required.  With regards to electric vehicles, the team would continue to review the types of vehicles available and the Council would procure those that were most suitable and cost efficient, mindful of the constraints of such a large district.

A further comment was made in relation to the additional bin and whether residents would have the space to accommodate it.  Following which, it was queried if work was underway for an alternative solution for those people who did not have room for an additional bin.

In response, the Portfolio Holder for Operational Services advised that the food caddies were quite small to enable them to be left at a collection point. 

A Member highlighted a Food Waste Programme underway in schools and hoped the children in turn would educate those at home.

RESOLVED

1. That drawing forward £4.175m from the Capital Programme allocation for 2027/28-2030/31 to 2026/27 to fund the capital costs of purchasing food waste collection vehicles be approved.

2. That slippage of £1.155m in the Capital Programme allocations for Food Waste for 2025/26 into 2026/27 to fund the capital costs of purchasing food waste collection vehicles be approved.

3. That an addition of £1.943m to the Capital Programme in 2026/27 to fund the capital costs of purchasing food waste collection vehicles be approved.