Agenda item

Draft Enviro-Crime Plan Objectives

 

To consider an outline Enviro-Crime Plan and to provide feedback on each of three main objectives and associated activities.

Minutes:

Consideration was given to a report and presentation on early phase development of an Enviro-Crime Plan presented by the Cabinet Member for Transport and Environment and the Assistant Director for Community Safety and Street Scene. The main objectives of the Plan were presented for feedback from Members. The objectives were Prevention, Engagement, and Enforcement. Prevention is about designing out crime and making it harder for offenses to happen in the first place. The Engagement objective emphasises the need to communicate well the environment services available for people to dispose of their waste, the enforcement actions taken, and informing residents about environmental offenses and their responsibilities. The Enforcement objective is about effectiveness at all phases of the waste disposal cycle, working well with police, increasing outputs of fines and prosecutions and notices requiring demonstration of responsible waste disposal and appropriate documentation. The service leads provided examples of tactical measures for discussion.

 

In discussion, Members asked for more information about how the service will work with private landlords. The response from officers noted that Council does contact landowners to ask them to clear waste on land they own, and the Council does have the power to enforce the landowners to clear waste on private land, which can sometimes be problematic for landowners when they

 

Members also asked for clarification around waste on private versus common land, or land where it is difficult to pin down ownership of land. Land usually has an owner although it can be hard to identify.

 

Members requested further information around budget provision for clearing eyesores or public health concerns that are on private land. There is funding going into the service to help expand coverage, and there is a special team with expertise to design out crime.

 

A specific example was given of a trouble spot for fly tipping. A further conversation regarding the trouble spot was offered outside the meeting.

 

Members also suggested better communication around schemes that are affordable, for example, qualification for extra bins. The service noted that the Plan would include expanding communication around the available schemes. Further work is in motion around making it an offense to advertise irresponsible waste disposal.

 

Members noted favourably the involvement of Members in nominating bins or bin changes. The service noted that the local knowledge of elected Members can be very valuable prior to making changes to bins.

 

Members noted the difficulty with fly tipping on common land, and that the Plan include provision for this grey area. Service leads offered a direct conversation about specific pieces of land. Where it there is land that is not owned by anyone, this can make prevention and enforcement difficult in that area but at the same time must be addressed so that it does not become harmful to communities.

 

Members offered examples of successful engagement, including work in schools and work by a community grassroots litter picking organisation which are already performing an excellent service for the community by tackling hotspots. Members suggested that the service tie in to consult members of this successful organisation around developing the engagement objective of the Plan. Members also suggested maximising the Council’s website to publicise the Council’s activity in terms of removals and enforcement. The service welcomed the suggestions and noted the changes that are being put in place to establish a more digital and interactive interface with residents around frontline services. There is crossover with the nature crisis and climate change and Environment Bill 2021-22 that will have impacts on how much waste is created to begin with.

 

Members noted that language differences can impede the flow of information into communities. The bin calendars could be used as a communication channel. Members requested more readily available information about unusual items and where these can be taken. Work with library services and work in schools were also suggested. The response from officers emphasised the customer and digital services branch of the Plan which will provide more information at people’s fingertips. The household waste contracts come to an end in 2023, therefore the service are working on options to present to Cabinet in the summer. This means that there is present flexibility to work with partners to develop the right options and stipulations in respect of household waste and recycling.

 

Members described the cascading impact of expanding work in schools which had been done in the past, recognising the resource involved. The importance of design in planning placement of bins was also emphasised in terms of designing out litter. The response from officers noted the powers to require developers to produce plans for waste. The service has also been taking part in the graduate programme to utilise all the resource possible. It will be important that following on from the Environment Bill there will be funding to ensure the requirements can be delivered.

 

Members noted that hotspots are often fly-tipped on a regular basis, and with a host of tactics, the service put extra measures in to go door to door to replace missing bins. The response from officers noted the challenges associated with fly-tipping and emphasised the objective of having a clear and consistent plan locally that will be amplified nationally through the medium to long term. CCTV has also been tactically deployed which will begin to have deterrent effect on the fly tipping.

 

Members requested clarification around issues with how residents present their bins. The response from officers noted the decriminalisation of presenting bins in inappropriate ways, replaced with a civil process. This is a process that has limitation around the ways it can be enforced, and one that requires resources to enforce with limited result that often would penalise the more law abiding citizens who are more willing to pay civil fines.

 

Clarification was requested around the procedure to address contaminated bins. The response from officers noted that there is no power or sanction that officers can take to address a contaminated bin. The only option open to the service is to work with the individual bin owner to help them clear the bin and better understand the kinds of collections for their bins. It was noted that the separate collections are about to become more complex in the future under the new regulations. Members emphasised that it is not reasonable for the service to continually be having to sort out a repeatedly contaminated bin.

 

Members also suggested the service explore the potential of restorative justice approaches to deal with waste offenses. Members noted the responsiveness of the graffiti team which swiftly shift graffiti. It was requested that the service make information around the graffiti service available to Members.

 

Resolved:-

 

1.    That the report be noted and the next update, including information in respect of performance measurement, clean-up and removal cost breakdowns, graffiti removal response times and a summary of work in schools, be submitted 12 months from implementation.

2.    That consideration be given to expanding the work with private landlords and provision of support to communities where there may be an eyesore or public health concern on private or common land.

3.    That the service avail all appropriate channels to further promote and publicise services and schemes to help residents dispose of waste responsibly and affordably.

4.    That the service continue to engage elected members and community groups to maximise the local knowledge available to the service to inform deployment of assets, resources and schemes.

5.    That forthcoming work on customer and digital interface include ward- or neighbourhood-level demonstrations where appropriate with a view to broadening access to information and support around responsible waste disposal.

6.    That the service clarify the process for addressing contaminated recycling bins, and that any removal of such be coordinated with direct engagement with the resident, with a view to enhancing understanding of processes and resident responsibility.

7.    That the responsiveness of the graffiti removal teams be noted, and that the service provide Members with information in respect of graffiti removal.

8.    That the service explore potential restorative justice approaches to dealing with waste offences.

Supporting documents: