The Climate Action, Environment and Highways Policy and Scrutiny Committee met on Wednesday 27 November 2024 and discussed two topics. The committee made a series of recommendations on the council's Recycling and Waste Strategy, and requested more information about it. They also reviewed progress on the council's plan to modernise public conveniences in the borough.

Recycling & Waste Strategy

The committee considered a report on preparatory work for the development of a new Recycling and Waste Strategy. The current waste services contract, which is with Veolia, is due to expire in 2027. The council has recently acquired a waste depot at Landmann Way in Southwark to help deliver these services.

Officers are keen to stimulate competition in the market, as recent tenders for similar contracts at other London councils have only attracted one or two bids. To make bidding more attractive, the council will provide land for the contractor to use. In addition to the Landmann Way site, they are hoping to develop another site at Mandela Way off Old Kent Road subject to planning permission.

In advance of consultation with residents, the committee discussed how they could improve the borough's recycling rates, which are currently on a par with other inner London boroughs. The committee were keen to understand how they could better influence resident behaviour.

referencing that the report identified the need to change behaviours, Members asked how the Council intended to drive this change in mindset

They were also interested in how new legislation, such as the government's plan for a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) for drinks containers would affect recycling rates.

DRS are common across much of Europe and are generally located in large supermarkets etc. Introducing DRS in Westminster will be a significant challenge for business given the space constraints but officers will work closely to support their roll-out.

Councillors asked officers to provide more information about food waste collections.

To provide a breakdown of the take up of food waste disposal by ward in Westminster. To contextualise this information, supplementary detail on the ward profile and when food waste collections were made available may be appropriate.

They also wanted to know more about the success of community recycling days.

Members sought more information on how these days work, how frequent they are set to be going forward and what locations they would consider other than WCC estates.

Councillors expressed an interest in the recent increase in fly-tipping. They recommended that the council should consider whether charging residents for bulky waste collections discourages them from using the service.

The Committee recommended that the Council consider undertaking a price sensitivity analysis to determine the appropriate cost for bulky waste collections to optimise revenue whilst minimising non-compliance and the costs associated with this.

The committee also considered how they could reduce the environmental impact of the borough's waste collection and disposal arrangements. Councillors were keen to understand how the council would meet its Net Zero targets if it continued to incinerate waste.

2030 Net Zero targets: whether the waste service envisaged being able to produce no emissions whatsoever by 2030, which would mean, in its current form, incineration of waste would not be possible.

The council currently disposes of its residual waste by sending it to the SELCHP energy-from-waste facility in Deptford. The plant will soon have to comply with the government's Emissions Trading Scheme, which will significantly increase costs for the council.

The committee made a number of other recommendations to the cabinet member, including asking the council to explore with residents the possibility of pooling bulky waste orders.

The Committee recommended that the Council considers further investigating the idea of residents being able to pool bulky waste orders together.

They also suggested that the council should work with social housing providers and tenants to improve education on waste disposal and recycling.

The Committee recommended that the Council works with Registered Providers (RPs) and directly with social housing tenants to improve education on waste disposal and recycling.

Public Conveniences

The committee received an update on progress with the council's programme to modernise its public conveniences, which is split into two parts; a refresh of neighbourhood facilities, and a refurbishment of public conveniences in the West End.

The refresh of neighbourhood facilities, which involved deep cleaning and the replacement of sanitaryware, has now been completed. Councillors heard that the refurbishment of facilities in the West End was behind schedule due to unforeseen circumstances.

This site is challenging because the electrical meter had to be relocated to allow a Changing Places to be installed, the slab on which the main building sits had to be replaced because it was not flat, and tree roots had grown under the walls on one side of the building.

Councillors were told that the refurbishment would improve accessibility, with Changing Places toilets being provided at the Victoria Embankment and Jubilee Hall facilities.

Councillors were interested in the data that was now being collected on the usage of the facilities. They noted the disparity in the ratio of women to men using the facilities, and sought assurances that this had been factored into the design of the refurbishment.

highlighting how consistently across all sites more women than men use public conveniences (PCs), the Cabinet Member was asked whether there were underlying reasons as to why this was the case, how PCs could be made more accessible and whether this was something that the Council was conscientious about.

Councillors were also interested in data that showed that a significant proportion of people were using the facilities without paying. They were keen to understand how this was being managed, and if enforcement was necessary.

An analysis of visitors against payments shows that between 42% (Parliament Street) and 72% (Green Park) of users pay to use public conveniences... This is based on the difference between the number of people recorded as entering the public convenience and the number of paying users.

The committee went on to make a series of recommendations to the cabinet member. They recommended that the council's approach should take account of its commitments to improve night-time safety and reduce violence against women and girls.

The Committee recommended that the Council’s approach to public conveniences is tied into and guided by ongoing strategies on night-time safety and tackling violence against women and girls.

They also recommended that the council should carry out a price sensitivity analysis to determine what impact changing the price for using its public conveniences would have on usage and income.

The Committee recommended that the Council consider undertaking a price sensitivity analysis to determine what price to use the facilities might result in the optimum revenue to cover costs and minimise anti-social behaviour.

The committee also recommended that the council should consult with a wide range of stakeholders to ensure its public conveniences serve all communities.

The Committee recommended that the Council engages with a wide range of diverse stakeholders to ensure that public conveniences serve all communities that live in and visit Westminster.