The Government’s intention to establish a unitary Ipswich authority has increased the likelihood of delays in the waste procurement programme, according to a report by officers of Suffolk County Council.
The County Council says that the programme could be significantly delayed pending the 'buy in' of the new Unitary Authority. It also estimates that the financial impact of a two year delay to the programme is likely to be £52m, though around 20% of this will fall on the new authority.
The report The Future Procurement of Suffolk’s Waste Disposal Services, to be considered by County Council’s Cabinet on 9 October, is produced by the Director of Environment and Transport.
It says that Suffolk has approached the Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG) to “discuss the possibility of securing a binding commitment for the residual municipal waste from Ipswich to be processed in a partnership with that from the rest of Suffolk”.
The overall thrust of the report is for Cabinet to consider potential funding and procurement options for the interim and long term solutions. The options were previously approved by Cabinet on 31 October 2006.
Substantial increases in Landfill Tax coupled with diminishing landfill capacity in the County area mean a “substantial shift away from landfill towards the best proven alternative available technology….”.
Energy from waste
The outline business case presented in the report confirms the case for the procurement of an energy from waste (efw) incineration facility for the management of residual waste, though tenderers would be able to submit alternative options.
The current approach is that the Waste Disposal Authority would secure a suitable site and complete baseline environmental and ground condition studies. The information would then be used to support a future planning application and the data made available to potential tenderers.
Cabinet will also be asked to endorse the criteria for deciding on the location of a residual waste treatment facility which is an essential prerequisite.
Recycling and composting
Financial support from the Council of around £8m is needed to enhanced recycling and composting performance by the Waste Collection Authorities over a six year period, with agreements between authorities to be in the form of a Memorandum of Understanding. The County Council and the continuing six district and borough councils (excluding Ipswich) have been granted “Pathfinder” status to improve two tier working in Local Government.
Suffolk is already delivering one of the best levels of recycling and composting in the country at 43% and the County is one of the top ten performing authorities in England. Suffolk also achieved Beacon Status for its excellence in waste and recycling performance.
The report also includes a plan to enhance the service provided by Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) to divert further waste from landfill. Space is at a premium at many of the HWRCs and the intention is to have some major upgrades of facilities. For example at some sites it is not possible to segregate wood which is not therefore recycled at those sites.
PFI submission
The report aims for submission of an application for private finance initiative (PFI) credits from central government by 31 October 2007. These credits would help to ease the burden of waste management costs on Suffolk residents.
Greenhouse gas emissions
The County Council will later be carry out work to identify the impact that the preferred option of Energy from Waste will have on Suffolk’s carbon footprint. This has been prompted by the statement in Waste Strategy for England 2007 that the Government is considering developing a greenhouse gas emissions performance indicator for local authority performance on waste management activities. The further work will be undertaken once Government has issued its methodology and guidance.