The Environment and Sustainable Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee were scheduled to meet to discuss waste management services in County Durham and the council's Ecological Emergency Action Plan. Councillors were expected to receive a strategic overview of waste management, focusing on the introduction of food waste collections, and to review the progress and resourcing of the Ecological Emergency Action Plan.

Strategic Overview of Waste Management Services

The committee was scheduled to discuss a report and presentation regarding waste management services in County Durham. The presentation was set to cover the council's approach to waste management, with an emphasis on the waste hierarchy, prioritising waste avoidance, reuse, and recycling.

The presentation was also scheduled to include updates on various waste projects and campaigns, including those related to Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) and vape recycling.

Councillors were also expected to discuss the implementation of the new countywide food waste collection service, changes to the existing kerbside collection scheme, and updates to the garden waste collection scheme. The report pack noted that from Spring/Summer 2026, residents would receive a 'start up pack' containing a 23 litre external kerbside caddy, a 5 litre internal kitchen caddy, and a roll of caddy liners.

The committee was also scheduled to consider the statutory requirements of Simpler Recycling signalled in the Resources and Waste Strategy for England 2018, and subsequent Simpler Recycling reforms, as well as an update on the Tees Valley Energy from Waste project.

The report pack included two reports by Local Partnerships, an independent public sector delivery partner, providing a technical review and a strategic assessment of the Tees Valley Energy Recovery Facility. The Strategic Assessment, completed in October 2025, stated that the project had been developed in accordance with recognised best practice and offered a robust, future-proof solution to the region's residual waste challenge, and that the TV ERF Project remained the most advantageous course of action for Durham County Council. The Technology Report, also completed in October 2025, concluded that the TVERF technology compared favourably to other waste treatment technologies.

Ecological Emergency Action Plan

The committee was scheduled to receive a briefing on the background of Durham County Council's Ecological Emergency, its key outputs, resourcing and progress to date.

The report pack noted that an Ecological Emergency was declared by the cabinet in April 2022, but that the emergency was not allocated any resources, either financial or staffing.

The Ecological Emergency has two key outputs: a thematic group of the County Durham Partnership, which forms the governance body for the Local Nature Recovery Strategy, and the Ecological Emergency Action plan, which also forms part of Durham County Council's statutory obligation for reporting on the biodiversity duty to conserve and enhance biodiversity.

The Ecological Emergency Action Plan is comprised of a number of outputs within three key themes of 'Land Management', 'Education, Awareness and Communication' and 'Policies and Strategies'.

The report pack included a copy of the cabinet report from April 2022, which declared an ecological emergency for County Durham, and the latest version of the Ecological Emergency Action Plan.