Agenda item

Reducing Single Use Plastics in Lancashire - Response to Recommendations of the Scrutiny Task and Finish Group Report

Minutes:

 The Chair welcomed the Deputy Leader of the County Council, County Councillor Albert Atkinson; Rachel Tanner, Head of Procurement; Clare Joynson, Head of Facilities Management; Ginette Unsworth, Head of Communications; William Maxwell, Service Development Manager; and Nigel Craine, Head of School and Residential Care Catering, to the meeting.

 

The committee was informed that in January 2019, the Internal Scrutiny Committee published a task and finish group report on reducing single use plastics in Lancashire.

 

Cabinet Members welcomed the report from the Internal Scrutiny Committee on the important subject of reducing single use plastics (SUPs) in Lancashire. They also thanked members and officers of the Reducing SUPs in Lancashire task and finish group for the time and commitment that they had invested in the thorough research that they undertook as part of the group's work. In accordance with agreed protocols, the relevant Cabinet Members had been asked to provide a response to the task and finish group's report.

 

Currently only certain types of plastic were permitted in the county's residential recycling bins. The new system would mean pots, tubs and trays would also become part of the collections across the county and Lancashire County Council was working towards integrating pots, tubs and trays into doorstep collections later this year. Work was now underway to adapt the council's waste recovery plant at Farington so that it could accept a wider range of plastic materials. A major public information campaign was being planned to advise the public of the changes to the system. The authority would work with district councils, which collected rubbish in their own areas, to help residents understand the new system and what they could recycle. The communications team already had a good webpage set up and once the new system was introduced, social media would be used extensively to promote the messages to the public.

 

A number of initiatives had already been introduced across county council buildings.  Plastic cups had been eradicated from meeting rooms. Fruit and veg was now placed in plastic trays only if it was soft and needed protection. The catering department at the county council had replaced 15 out of the 20 single-use plastic products which it had been using.

 

Another recommendation from the single-use plastics task group which the committee accepted was the promotion of plastic reduction in schools and businesses across the county. Dialogue with schools was now under way and key messages would be shared with businesses once they had been agreed at a corporate level. 

 

In regard to banning the release of helium balloons and sky lanterns from all council owned land and leased premises this recommendation was supported by Cabinet members and consideration would be given to what was required to enforce such a ban. The committee was informed that in respect of organised events where prior permission was required from the council, it might be possible to impose conditions on the granting of permission for the event. The enforcement with respect to individuals or small groups presented obvious difficulties in ensuring that any ban was adhered to.

 

Regarding the recommendation on investing in moveable signs that could help deter the public from littering from their cars and reminding them to be responsible with their waste, the committee was informed that this would be relooked at with Highways, using the example provided in Pendle.

 

Regarding dog mess and plastic bags, the committee was informed that biodegradable bags were the best solution but getting this issue to the manufacturers was key to reducing plastic waste.

 

Resolved:

 

  i.  The Internal Scrutiny Committee receive the responses by the relevant Cabinet Members.

  ii.  The Committee recommended that the Chief Executive be asked to identify a senior officer to assume the lead officer role to take this work forward.

  iii.  A progress update report on reducing Single Use Plastics in Lancashire to be presented to the Committee on the 27 September 2019 meeting.

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