Neighbourhood, Environmental and Communities Cabinet Member – Minutes – 31 December 2009

 

81 (15) RECYCLING OF PORTABLE HOUSEHOLD BATTERIES – The Service Director Neighbourhood and Environment submitted a report seeking approval to include portable household batteries in the kerbside box collection scheme.

The Waste Batteries and Accumulators Regulations came into force on 5 May 2009 establishing a new producer responsibility system for the collection, treatment and recycling of waste portable batteries. The regulations aimed to significantly increase UK collection and recycling of used portable batteries from the current rate of about 3% to 25% by 2012, rising to 45% by 2016.

Batteries can contain chemicals such as lead, mercury and cadmium and most of this ended up in landfill where they could pollute the soil and water and potentially harm human health. Recycling enabled the recovery of these materials, some of which could be used again to make other products.

The Waste Resource Action Programme (WRAP) was commissioned by Defra to run a series of battery collection trials to gain an understanding of the most cost efficient ways to collect portable household batteries. The report stated that, whilst local authorities were not legally obligated to participate in battery collection schemes, they should be encouraged to add batteries to their kerbside recycling schemes where this was both contractually and physically practicable.

The council’s incumbent service delivery partner, AbitibiBowater Recycling Europe (ABRE), which operated the kerbside box collection service, had indicated that it would be willing to collect portable household batteries as part of the existing kerbside box arrangements at no extra cost.

The annual waste collection and recycling calendars were due to be distributed in February 2010. A leaflet promoting the inclusion of batteries in the existing kerbside box scheme could be distributed alongside the calendars.

Resolved – (a) That approval be given for the council to expand the material range collected in the kerbside box collection scheme to include portable household batteries and accumulators, to commence in the new year 2010, and (b) that approval be given for the Waste Management Division to undertake all necessary publicity for the scheme in conjunction with the council’s Public Relations section.

82 (16) ADIZONE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AREA, MANOR PARK, SCUNTHORPE – The Service Director Neighbourhood and Environment submitted a report seeking approval for the supply and installation of the Scunthorpe Olympic Legacy AdiZone Multi Use Physical Activity Area on Manor Park, Scunthorpe.

AdiZones were innovative multi-sports facilities designed in the shape of the London 2012 logo. They were created by Adidas to help get more young people and families into sport and physical activity, as part of Adidas’s sponsorship of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The aspiration was to install part-funded AdiZones in each region to help create a lasting legacy of the London 2012 Games. The multi-sports facilities were designed to be a linking mechanism between schools, clubs, the local community and the local authority.

AdiZone and Connect2 were joining forces on Manor Park to create a linked cycleway and footpath route with outdoor multi-sports facilities, both physically and financially with matched funding coming from Connect2 and SUSTRANS into the AdiZone project. Planning permission had been applied for.

The project commenced in July 2009 with a grant application to the external funders and was being co-ordinated and managed by the council through the Playbuilder Project Manager.

Resolved – That approval be given for the supply and installation of the AdiZone on Manor Park, Scunthorpe by 31 March 2010.

83 (17) HEALTH AND SAFETY SERVICE PLAN AND ENFORCEMENT POLICY 2009/10 – The Service Director Neighbourhood and Environment submitted a report seeking approval of the Health and Safety Service Plan for the period 2009-2010 and of the Health and Safety Enforcement Policy.

Mandatory guidance from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) required the council to make adequate arrangements for the health and safety enforcement function. The guidance stipulated an enforcement framework that had to be adopted to enable the council to demonstrate that adequate arrangements were being made.

The Health and Safety Service Plan 2009/2010 appended to the report detailed how the available resources would be deployed to deliver the broad range of activities, which constituted the council’s arrangements for heath and safety enforcement in North Lincolnshire.

The plan aimed to ensure high levels of compliance at the highest risk premises. The provision of advice and support to business and the prompt response to complaints and service requests remained a priority. Alternative enforcement initiatives would continue to be utilised for lower risk premises as an alternative to formal inspection.

The current Health and Safety Enforcement Policy was approved in 2003. It was recommended practice that this policy was periodically reviewed and approved. The Enforcement Policy had changed little in content or principle since its last review and a copy of the revised document was appended to the report.

Resolved – (a) That the Health and Safety Service Plan 2009-2010 be approved, and (b) that the revised Health and Safety Enforcement Policy be approved.