URL: https://hackney.moderngov.co.uk/ieDecisionDetails.aspx?ID=8085

Decision Maker:

Outcome: Recommendations Approved

Is Key Decision?: No

Is Callable In?: No

Purpose:

Content: RESOLVED:   1.  The proposed approach for the charged garden waste service for street level properties, schools and private blocks for 2025/26 was approved   2.  The proposed approach for estate garden waste, community gardens and allotments for 2025/26 was approved.   REASONS FOR DECISION   Service performance   Performance of the subscription service is being monitored throughout the first year of the service. The monitoring methodology includes but is not limited to:   ·  subscription numbers; ·  permits provided; ·  income; ·  resident queries and complaints; ·  Member Enquiries; ·  Freedom of Information Requests; ·  feedback from staff members in the service; ·  tonnes of garden waste collected; reports of fly tipped garden waste; ·  missed collections; ·  containers provided to those who need; ·  containers removed from household that haven’t subscribed; ·  and feedback from Living in Hackney Scrutiny Commission.   The key findings have been outlined below. Where it has been identified that areas of the service design could potentially be improved to meet the needs of residents - i.e. through the addition of concessions and one off collections - this has been addressed throughout section 4 of this report. More information about the environmental impacts can be seen in the sustainability and climate change section below.   Subscriber numbers: Over 6,500 street level properties have subscribed, c.30% of eligible properties. A further 40 private blocks and three schools have arranged collections through Commercial waste.   Bin deliveries: C. 1,400 additional bins delivered where required.   Bin removals: 70% of containers from households that haven’t subscribed have been removed.   Complaints and queries: C.1070 resident queries, c.50 Corporate Complaints / Member Enquiries / Freedom of Information Requests. Overall, the main themes have included: permits; chasing a delivery; removal or upgrade of a bin; eligibility for service; missed collection; lost, damaged or stolen bin. Initially, over the launch of the charged service, the cost of the service was one of the most common queries (consistently in the top five query types).   Quarter 1 (Q1) tonnages 2024/25 (most recent data available): garden waste was down 281 tonnes (38%); Reduction and Recycling Centre (RRC) garden waste tonnages increased 32 tonnes (81%); dumped garden waste reports were up by 67 (35%).   Garden waste in black bins: Some garden waste has been placed in black bins for non-recyclable waste, as reported by crews, but it is not possible to monitor or report on every case of this as it can’t always be seen.   Missed collections: There were 49 reports of missed collections in September 2024, compared to 114 in September 2023.   Income generated: Income of c.£556k generated, c.£206k over the £350k target.   Further, a paper was presented to the Living in Hackney Scrutiny Commission on 18th November, titled ‘Impact of Changes to Domestic Waste & Recycling Collections’, where garden waste charging was discussed. Scrutiny members raised issues and concerns including but not limited to, whether discounts for those on low incomes could be applied, community composting and community gardens, payment mechanisms, potential burdens on those living in social housing and use of Reuse & Recycling Centres.   Annual charge   For 2025/26, it is proposed that the annual charge remains at £85 for a single garden waste bin. This is the same charge agreed in the Fees and Charges in February 2024 for 2024/25. Residents have not yet been charged this amount as year one had a pro rata charge for 11 months starting at £78. It is not recommended that the price be increased beyond £85; maintaining it at this fee will ensure that residents benefit from a full year at this fee.   In year one of the charged service, the majority of subscribers (77%) opted for one bin. However, some properties have limited space for storage, and 15% of subscribers have opted for a subscription using reusable garden waste bags. It is recommended that the same containment options from year one are carried forward, to continue to meet the different needs of residents. The proposed prices have been based on litreage, with the standard 1 x bin option starting at £85:   ·  1 x 140 litre bin (£85) ·  2 x 140 litre bins (£128) ·  2 x 90 litre bags (£110) ·  4 x 90 litre bags (£165) ·  1 x 140 litre bin and 2 x 90 litre bags (£147)   In doing this, the service is able to respond to residents’ differing needs, something that few other London boroughs do. On request, upgrades are approved to subscriptions if residents require an additional container. The difference in the fee is charged at the time of upgrade.   Approval of this approach is requested as soon as possible so that promotion and sign up/renewal can begin early in the new year alongside the information about collecting Christmas Trees. Leaving the promotion until after fees and charges are proposed for approval at Full Council in late February will be a risk to communication planning and subsequent take up.   For the first year of the charged garden waste service, Commercial garden waste fees were introduced that aligned to the residential charging model (with collections starting from £78). For 2025/26 it is recommended that Commercial garden waste fees are adjusted to start from £85 to remain consistent with the household charge for 2025/26.   Introduce concession pricing   Concession prices were not made available in year one. This approach is in line with the majority of other London boroughs charging for garden waste collections, out of which 16 (67%) of 24 do not offer concessions.   Residents have free options available to them including home composting and using three Reuse and Recycling Centres (RRC) in neighbouring boroughs. If signing up at the start of the year, the subscription fee equates to only £3.30 per collection if used every fortnight. For comparison, it would be £14 per collection if only used six times, which is considerably cheaper than a private contractor with prices expected to start from c.£40 per collection.   Since launching the charge, less than 30 enquiries (3%) requested concession prices, therefore it could be considered that this has not been a significant cause of concern to residents. However, queries more generally about cost were consistently in the top five query types when the charge launched. It is also likely that people who couldn’t afford the subscription charge may not have contacted the Council and information on likely take up from this group is not available.   It is recommended that for 2025/26, a 50% concession price is trialled for those receiving Housing Benefits, the Housing element of Universal Credit or Pension Credit. This would support those on lower incomes who could otherwise be negatively affected by the annual subscription cost. Residents would be asked to provide evidence that they meet one of the eligibility requirements.   It is noted that Q1 garden waste recycling tonnages have declined, and reports of garden waste dumping have increased (see sustainability and climate change section below). Making the service more accessible by offering a concession price could encourage more people to sign up who wouldn’t at full price and potentially mitigate against negative environmental impacts by maximising tonnages collected for recycling.   The impact this has on the service will be monitored throughout the year and results will be used to provide a comparison to 2024/25. The results will be reviewed before proposing the most suitable approach to carry forward in future years of the service.   Introduce one-off collections   One-off garden waste collections were not made available in the first year of the service because maintaining regular, scheduled collections is generally more efficient. Residents who prefer not to pay the annual subscription have had various options available to them, including home composting, visiting an RRC or using a private waste collector for a one-off service.   This approach was in line with the majority of other London boroughs charging for garden waste collections, out of which 21 (88%) of 24 do not offer one off collections. Fewer than 15 requests to pay for one-off garden waste collections have been received, so it is not a common query type.   However, it is recommended that offering one off garden waste collections is trialled in 2025/26. This will support the Council in mitigating negative impacts of the service charge on those on lower incomes. It is suggested that prices for one off garden waste collections align to the bulky waste collection fee, which is currently £21.35 for 1-5 items. The service will be cheaper than an annual subscription or a private contractor with prices expected to start from c.£40 per collection. Further, concessions would apply, which would support residents to afford the service.   It is noted that Q1 garden waste tonnages have declined and dumping of garden waste has increased (see sustainability and climate change section below). The one off collection offer could support the Council in mitigating negative environmental impacts of the charge by collecting more garden waste for recycling and reducing the likelihood of dumping.   Offering one off collections could target a group who are unlikely to subscribe as they generate little garden waste or cannot afford the annual service, therefore it may not impact subscriber numbers. One off collections could also support those who subscribe but have a spike in garden waste over the autumn months due to leaf fall and would like a one off additional collection.   The impact that including a one off collection offer has on the service will be monitored throughout the year and provide a comparison to 2024/25. The results will be reviewed before proposing the most suitable approach to carry forward in future years of the service.   Estates   Until now, the Council has provided garden waste collections to Hackney Housing estates free of charge. It is recommended that from April 2025 a charge is applied for garden waste collections for estate households (tenants and leaseholders), to bring the service more in line with the Council’s policy to charge for garden waste from street level properties.   It should be noted that ground floor properties with gardens on Hackney Housing estates that receive street level services (i.e. those with their own bin for waste rather than using the communal services) will already be affected by the street level charge.   Historically, estate-based residents have been able to apply for access to a communal garden waste service. Where suitable, estate properties have been provided a shared bin (typically one locked 240 litre bin per 4 properties). Garden waste is collected from the communal bins on a fortnightly cycle. Across 61 estates, 400 estate properties have arranged garden waste collections, which represents less than 1% of the borough’s estate households. A small number of households on Hackney Housing estates with communal waste collections have previously been approved for individual bin collections for garden waste only. It is not possible to move these households to a street level service as typically they have limited access for vehicles and the approach for these properties needs to be updated in line with other estate households on communal services.   It is not proposed that individual estate residents are charged for continued access to communal garden waste bins as not all locations are suitable for communal garden waste bins (e.g. they don’t have the space or have limited access for vehicles). Further, estate properties tend to have smaller gardens and less garden waste, and are less likely to pay for a regular fortnightly collection service.   Above in section 4.23 it is recommended that one off garden waste collections are made available. It is recommended that from April 2025 garden waste services are provided to estate households through this one off service only. The existing garden waste services for estates properties would be removed. Concessions would be made available which would support residents to afford the service. Residents who prefer not to pay for garden waste collections would still have alternative options of home composting or visiting an RRC.   Ensuring both housing types have access to an one off charged garden waste service could be considered a fairer approach than the current service model.   The impact this has on the service will be monitored throughout 2025/26. The results will be reviewed before proposing the most suitable approach to carry forward in future years of the service. This will further allow time for CSES to consider potential options that the service is unable to offer at this current time, based on what other boroughs offer (see below).   Of the inner London boroughs, a variety of approaches have been adopted for collecting garden waste from estates. Some boroughs do not provide garden waste collections to residents on estates. Others state residents anywhere in the borough can opt into the same garden waste subscription as street level properties. Some offer a larger communal bin specifically to flats for an annual subscription.   No option has been put forward to stop collecting garden waste from estate properties entirely. This decision follows the announcement of new government requirements for consistency of collections, which mandate that local authorities will be required to provide a garden waste collection service where requested by 31 March 2026. It is assumed that households include flatted properties with gardens. There will be no additional new burdens funding made available for garden collections. However, under section 45 of the EPA 1990 and the Controlled Waste Regulations 2012, waste collection authorities can continue to recover a reasonable charge for garden waste collections.   Community gardens and allotments   A further consideration is community gardens on Hackney Housing estates, of which there are approximately 50-60 in the borough. For 2024/25, CSES agreed to collect from community gardens for free. The gardens use a one tonne bag and request collections as and when required. This service has been manageable for CSES, with 4 community gardens to date requesting a one tonne bag to participate, and has been appreciated by those who benefit from the community gardens.   Benchmarking has shown that of the inner London boroughs, a variety of approaches have been taken for community gardens. Some offer free collections to community and charity gardens while others charge for collections.   It should be noted that community food growing is part of the consumption-based emissions theme of the Climate Action Plan. The goal is to ensure healthy, plant-based diets are widespread. Efforts are aimed at enabling equitable access to healthy and more sustainable diets for all. Community food growing, led by Housing, is also highlighted in the Climate Implementation Plan. The goal is to create a minimum of nine new community food growing areas on housing estates in the next 3 years. It is expected that 2-3 additional community gardens will be established each year in the coming years.   It is recommended that CSES continues collecting community garden waste free of charge in 2025/26.   Until now, CSES has collected garden waste from Hackney allotment sites where required. This service has been manageable for CSES. It is recommended that CSES continues collecting from Hackney’s 9 allotment sites free of charge in 2025/26.   These services will be kept under review to assess the impact on the service and explore whether the provision needs to be adapted for future years.   Other   For the avoidance of doubt, for elements of the service design not addressed directly in section 4 or 5, it is recommended that the service model from year one is carried forward. Minimising changes will support residents to bed into the charged service as it becomes business as usual. Implementing further changes to the service at this early stage would be considered a higher risk approach and could impact the usability of the payment pages, subscription numbers and complaints received.   The service will be kept under review, in line with the monitoring methodology outlined in section 4.1 and in relation to the proposed changes. There will be further opportunity to reconsider the service design ahead of the third subscription period launching April 2026.   DETAILS OF ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS CONSIDERED AND REJECTED   Reduce the price   Subscriber numbers are not guaranteed. If the Council reduces the subscription cost and subscription numbers decline in year two, there is a risk to ensuring ongoing revenue costs are covered. It is therefore not recommended that the price is reduced.   Remove the charge   Charging for garden waste collections is still considered a necessary measure to support the Council’s overall financial position, therefore it is not recommended that the charge be removed.   Garden waste services only benefit a portion of Hackney’s total households. The c.22,000 street level properties with gardens represent 38% of street level properties and only 18% of Hackney’s street and estate households. While that is the number of households eligible to use the service, fewer participate. Monitoring undertaken in October - November 2022 found that 24% of eligible street level households participated in the free service (with participation anecdotally recorded to be slightly higher during summer months). It could be considered unfair to reinstate a service at such significant financial cost that disproportionately benefits the portion of the community with gardens.   Money and time has been invested into developing the charged garden waste service (to develop technical systems, launch communications, train collection crew, significantly change resident behaviour) to ensure success of the charged service. Reversing the decision would undo the work put in place to change behaviour. Instead, the Council should focus on bedding in the new service to ensure its ongoing success.   Introduce direct debit payments / cash payments   Introducing direct debit payments is not recommended at this time, either for splitting the payment monthly or for automatically renewing payments on an annual basis.   Only 4 (17%) of 24 London boroughs charging for garden waste accept direct debit payments. If direct debit is made available, residents could cancel their payment at any time which could result in a loss of income and complications identifying missed payments and removing the service. Residents could also forget or change their mind about automatically renewing which could cause concern for residents and lead to complaints and refund requests at the point of renewal. Both issues would lead to increased admin to manage subscriptions, and are considered a risk.   Further, there are technical limitations with the payment system which does not have direct debit functionality at present. It would first need to be confirmed whether such a development would be possible, and if it were, it is expected there would be a fee for development and testing the system before launching to the public.   Very few enquiries requesting direct debit payments have been received. Given the sign up rate from year one, this is not considered to have been a barrier to sign up.   Introducing cash payments is not recommended at this time as the Council’s Contact Centre no longer has a cash office to accept cash payments. This approach is in line with the bulky waste service, which cannot be paid for in cash. Very few requests to pay via cash have been received, and in these cases residents have gone on to successfully make the transaction over the phone with the Contact Centre or online with help from a friend or family member. Promotional material to encourage sign ups ahead of the 2025/26 collection period will be provided in digital and printed formats, with distribution of material through the letterbox, to ensure those who do not use the internet are reached.   It should be noted that in the few cases where residents have reported issues approving their online payment for garden waste, this has been due to external issues using their bank’s approval system and has not been related to a problem with the Council’s payment systems. In the cases staff are aware of, the residents have gone on to make a successful payment using assistance from their bank or a friend or family member.

Date of Decision: December 16, 2024