The meeting was scheduled to include presentations from external partners on the North London Waste Authority’s new Joint Waste Strategy 2025-40 and a review by Hackney Council officers of the recent changes to the Council’s waste and recycling collections. The agenda also included updates on work arising from previous scrutiny reviews.

North London Joint Waste Strategy 2025-40

The Commission was scheduled to discuss the draft North London Joint Waste Strategy 2025-40, which is a statutory document that is produced jointly between the North London Waste Authority and its constituent boroughs: Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Hackney, Haringey, Islington and Waltham Forest. The strategy will run from 2025 to 2040 and guide how the boroughs work together to plan the collection, treatment, and disposal of waste. It sets out how the authority and its constituent boroughs will work to minimise waste, increase recycling, reuse, repair, and move towards a circular economy.

The report pack included the draft strategy, which describes the waste the authority currently manages and its proposals for the future, as well as an accompanying summary guide.

The report pack provided for the meeting included presentations from:

• Martin Capstick, Managing Director of the North London Waste Authority
• Eleanor Hayward, Senior Strategy and Policy Manager at the North London Waste Authority
• Isaac Rosen, Senior Strategy and Policy Manager at the North London Waste Authority
• Councillor Sarah Young, Cabinet Member for Environment & Climate Change
• Geeta Subramaniam-Mooney, Director of Environment and Climate Change
• Sam Kirk, Assistant Director for Climate, Sustainability & Environmental Services

The following appendices to the report pack provide additional information on the context for the strategy, as well as analyses which were used to inform its development:

• Appendix 1: Waste projections
• Appendix 2: Options appraisal report
• Appendix 3: Listening exercise report
• Appendix 4: Environmental report
• Appendix 5: Equalities assessment

The strategy was scheduled to be discussed before being adopted, and the Commission was scheduled to be asked to provide feedback or comments on behalf of Hackney Council.

The strategy is structured around four priorities: supporting a reduction in waste by promoting prevention, repair and reuse; improving and maximising recycling; reducing the environmental impact of disposal where there is no option to prevent or reuse waste; and delivering collaborative, community-focused services which provide value for money and maximise social value.

Priority 1: Supporting a reduction in waste

The report states that the strategy's first priority is to follow the waste hierarchy and reduce waste, as this will most significantly reduce its environmental impact. It states that the strategy will aim to promote a circular economy by keeping materials in use and out of the waste stream for as long as possible. This priority is scheduled to be delivered through a number of actions, including:

• Campaigning for the government to target businesses and ensure they bear the cost of the waste they produce.
• Providing waste prevention, reuse and repair opportunities.
• Engaging and informing residents through behaviour change campaigns.
• Working with schools to promote waste prevention.
• Strengthening partnerships with other public sector bodies, environmental groups, campaigners and grassroots organisations to deliver waste prevention activities.

The strategy sets two targets to monitor progress on waste reduction, aiming to reduce the avoidable food waste found in household residual waste by 50% and to reduce the amount of recyclable material in the residual waste stream by 50%.

Priority 2: Improving and maximising recycling

The report states that if waste cannot be prevented in the first place, or items are unable to be reused or repaired, the next best option is to improve and maximise recycling.

The report pack states that the strategy aims to maximise recycling by diverting material from residual waste and avoiding the use of virgin material. This will be delivered through a number of actions, including:

• Asking the government to encourage the use of recycled materials, and support local authorities with more local powers and resources.
• Maintaining clear, effective and efficient collection methods.
• Collecting food waste from every household.
• Expanding the range of materials collected through new initiatives.
• Securing a new contract for recycling processing.
• Providing the infrastructure north London needs to manage the waste produced in the area, and ensuring it is processed with the highest environmental standards and in the UK where possible.
• Engaging and informing residents to ensure there is clear information on what can and cannot be recycled.
• Building partnerships with local businesses to support more circular business models.

The report pack states that the strategy has an aspiration to achieve a 50% household waste recycling rate by 2030, but acknowledges that this will be challenging to achieve and will depend on ambitious government policy. The strategy sets a further target to process 100% of recycling within the UK.

Priority 3: Reducing the environmental impact of disposal

The report states that any waste which cannot be prevented, reused or recycled will be managed in the most effective and environmentally friendly way, reducing the environmental impact of disposal. It states that the strategy will prioritise this by working to limit emissions and using waste as a resource to generate heat and energy to help power north London. Actions scheduled to be undertaken include:

• Asking the government to legislate to reduce plastic and other fossil-based content in the waste stream.
• Improving facilities to manage north London’s waste using the best available technology to control pollutants and limit environmental impacts.
• Using north London’s waste to generate energy and heat for the local area and reduce demand on fossil fuels.
• Investigating the use of carbon capture and storage technologies.
• Continuing to decarbonise the fleet of vehicles, looking to use electric or alternative fuels.
• Actively monitoring new technologies for sorting and treating waste.
• Producing new analysis examining the carbon impact of the waste produced in north London.

The strategy sets a target of zero landfill for the waste collected by local authorities in north London.

Priority 4: Delivering collaborative, community-focused services

The report states that a key priority for the strategy is to deliver collaborative, community- focused services which provide value for money and maximise social value. The strategy proposes to deliver this through a number of actions, including:

• Campaigning for adequate funding from government for waste services and policy that recognises the local requirements of north London.
• Ensuring all residents have access to the services they need to reduce their waste, recycle more and dispose of items responsibly where necessary.
• Working collaboratively alongside partners to deliver the best possible services and influence government policy in pursuit of its vision of sustainable waste management and a circular economy.
• Looking to maximise social value from all of its activity including by providing apprenticeship and training opportunities, educational activities, community grants, volunteering time and paying the London Living Wage.
• Providing good quality green jobs and training in the north London area and help build awareness of these opportunities in waste management and related sectors.
• Adopting sustainable procurement policies and using its influence to help reduce waste, drive environmental benefits and progress towards a circular economy.
• Developing and implementing best-in-class asset management practices to maximise the life of its assets and safeguard their functions and value for the community.

Changes to Domestic Waste & Recycling Collections

The Commission was scheduled to be provided with a report from Hackney Council’s Climate, Sustainability & Environment department on the recent changes to its domestic waste and recycling collections. The report pack included a presentation that covers performance statistics and changes to services, and provides an overview of national trends, resident behaviours and the Council’s work to tackle the climate crisis.

The presentation was scheduled to be given by:

• Councillor Sarah Young, Cabinet Member for Environment & Climate Change
• Geeta Subramaniam-Mooney, Director of Environment & Climate Change
• Sam Kirk, Assistant Director for Climate, Sustainability & Environmental Services

The presentation sets out the various factors which contribute to how Hackney Council delivers its domestic waste and recycling collections, including the borough’s unique socio- demographics and resident behaviours, statutory obligations and funding constraints, as well as the climate and ecological emergency. It describes how the Council’s services have evolved over recent years, and how it is working to deliver effective and efficient services which meet the needs of its residents and also achieve positive environmental outcomes.

Context & drivers

The presentation states that Hackney Council’s waste and recycling service covers approximately 125,000 households across three types of property:

• Street-level properties (44.5% of households) - These properties typically receive weekly recycling collections, fortnightly residual waste collections, and a fortnightly charged garden waste service. Weekly food waste collections are available.
• Estates properties (50% of households) - These properties typically receive weekly recycling collections and 2 or 3 residual waste collections a week. Weekly food waste collections are provided to approximately 90% of estate properties. A fortnightly garden waste service is available but not widespread.
• Flats above shops (FLASH properties - 5.5% of households) - These properties typically receive daily time-banded recycling and residual waste collections. A trial of weekly food waste collections is currently underway for around 500 of these properties.

The presentation highlights some of the unique characteristics of Hackney borough which influence how services are delivered, stating that Hackney is an inner London borough with a highly dense population (the third most densely populated local authority area in London). It states that over half of Hackney’s households are ‘harder to service’ (estates and FLASH properties) and a large proportion of residents live in houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) which can create additional challenges regarding engagement with residents.

Recent changes and performance

The presentation describes the recent changes that the Council has made to the service, as well as their impact on performance and the experiences of residents.

Food waste liners

The report states that the Council previously provided residents with compostable liners for their food waste caddies, for both street level and estates properties. Since April 2024, these liners have no longer been provided to street level properties, although they are still available to estates properties with communal services.

The presentation states that residents can purchase liners, use newspaper or brown paper bags, or choose not to line their caddies at all. It states that out of 56,000 households impacted by the change, the Council received 32 queries or complaints. The presentation provides a breakdown of the impact the change has had on participation, showing that street level properties have presented an average of 61 tonnes (5%) less food waste per month between May and September compared to the same period the previous year. In contrast, estate properties (which were unaffected by the change) have presented slightly more food waste in this period, although the presentation acknowledges that it is still too early to properly gauge the overall impact of the change.

Garden waste charges

The report states that previously, the Council collected garden waste free of charge from street level properties and some estate properties. However, from May 2024, a charge was introduced for street level properties, private blocks and schools that want to keep receiving the service. The presentation explains that 73% of London boroughs charge for garden waste, with a typical range of between £50 - £100 per year. The household charge for Hackney was agreed at £85 for the year, or £78 for 11 months. The Council provides a number of different container options for subscribers, with a 140l wheeled bin, 90l bags or a combination of both available. Residents can also make use of home composting or other methods of disposal including taking garden waste to a reuse and recycling centre or hiring a private contractor.

The presentation states that following the introduction of charges, over 6,500 residents signed up for the service, with an estimated 70% of non-subscribed bins removed from properties. It provides data showing that in the first quarter of 2024/25, garden waste tonnages were down by 281 tonnes (38%), while garden waste tonnage at reuse and recycling centres increased by 32 tonnes (81%) over the same period. The presentation acknowledges that anecdotal evidence suggests that this has led to an increase in dumped garden waste, but states that overall the numbers are remaining stable. Residents are also likely to have increased home composting and garden waste reduction. It also states that some garden waste is being placed in black bins, but that extra capacity requests have not increased.

Collection day changes

The presentation states that previously, street-level waste and recycling collections took place over 5 days each week, with food waste and recycling collected weekly, and residual waste and garden waste collected fortnightly.

In May 2024, the Council implemented a borough-wide route optimisation for all rounds, which led to a significant change to collection days for 82% of the borough’s street-level properties.

The presentation highlights the benefits of route optimisation, stating that the new system is more efficient and sustainable, with less disruption for residents, reduced mileage and vehicle emissions, and improved air quality. The compressed working hours are also said to improve the quality of life for waste operatives, with less weekend working, reduced travel costs and savings on childcare, as well as increased vehicle downtime for maintenance. Operatives were involved in the consultation process, and the changes are said to have been backed by crews and unions.

The presentation states that the average number of weekly tips, and miles travelled, has fallen across all waste streams after route optimisation was implemented. It reports a 29% drop in weekly tips, and a 10% reduction in miles travelled, which it states has brought about improvements to round efficiency and reduced congestion.

Recycling rates

The presentation highlights a trend of falling recycling rates, stating that volumes of household recycling were down by 16% between 2021/22 and 2023/24, and that this downward trend is continuing. Similar trends are being observed in other London boroughs.

The presentation suggests that this may be due to a number of factors, including the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic and the cost of living crisis, changes to packaging such as the use of lighter materials and reduction in single-use plastics, as well as declining levels of engagement and increasing contamination levels of materials collected for recycling. It states that there has been a reduction in the number of items accepted in many council recycling schemes, and changing consumer behaviours are impacting the composition and volume of waste produced. It states that 53% of people do not recycle one or more items that are accepted by their council’s recycling service.

The presentation states that Hackney’s relatively low household waste per capita compared to many other London boroughs suggests some success in waste reduction efforts, and that its residual waste per person already achieves the 2042 national target.

Tackling the climate crisis

The presentation describes the Council’s work on the climate crisis and its commitment to tackling climate change and the ecological emergency. This includes a number of activities which aim to reduce waste, encourage greater reuse and repair, and increase recycling. The presentation states that 18 waste prevention schemes are currently active in the borough and highlights a number of initiatives to encourage reuse, refill and rental, including:

• The Library of Things
• Furniture reuse
• Clothes swaps
• Textiles repair and upcycling classes
• The Refill Revolution
• Zero Waste Hubs

The presentation also states that the Council is leading the way for London boroughs and the GLA on food waste reduction, running an Eat Like a Londoner campaign to raise awareness of food waste and encourage residents towards sustainable behaviour.

Other items

The Commission was also scheduled to:

• Note a letter from Councillor Clayeon McKenzie, Cabinet Member for Housing Services and Resident Participation, in response to the Commission’s previous review of housing associations and the accountability of registered social landlords. The letter explains that the Council cannot compel registered providers to change their policies, and outlines its position in response to each of the recommendations put forward by the Commission.
• Note a letter from Councillor Sem Moema, Deputy Cabinet Member for the Private Rented Sector and Housing Affordability, in response to the Commission’s previous review of the draft Private Sector Housing Strategy 2024-2029. The letter addresses each of the Commission’s suggestions for improvement in turn, with comments and proposed actions provided.
• Consider the Commission’s actions tracker 2024/25, which brings together all outstanding actions and information requests from previous meetings and any subsequent actions. The tracker is scheduled to be discussed before being noted.
• Consider the final work programme for the remainder of the 2024/25 municipal year and agree it.
• Consider the draft minutes of the previous meeting held on 9 September 2024 and agree them as an accurate record of the meeting.