Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Bensly, Fairhead and D Hammond.

There were no declarations of interest declared at the meeting.

The minutes of the meeting held on the 16 March 2022 were confirmed.

There were no matters arising.

The Committee received and noted the contents of the Forward Plan.

The Committee received and considered a presentation from Ben Gulliver, FACET Project Manager.

The Committee were introduced to Kate Harper and Dom Harris from Pressure Plastics East, Members were given a summary of the activities they would be undertaking which focussed on communities and education.

Councillor Jeal asked with regard to the recycling bins and how these would be emptied. The Head of Environmental Services reported that the bins would be picked up by a smaller lifting vehicle with a side lift that would be used currently these are diesel but this could change in the future. The Chair advised that a business case had been agreed to look at more eco friendly vehicles. 

Councillor Lawn asked where the work would be produced and he was advised that a unit had just started to be made good for use in Great Yarmouth and would all be completed locally.

The Chair asked in relation to the Hemsby cup and whether the output and buy in of the scheme would be reported back to the Committee, this was confirmed.

Councillor Talbot asked if all plastics were to be used for recycling, it was advised that there would be three types of plastics recycled, HTTP polypropene and rigid polystyrene. The Strategic Director clarified that business waste was to be targeted for recycling.

Councillor P Carpenter asked with regard to demand and whether this had been considered if demand was to increase. It was advised there were a number of markets available to access to plastics for recycling, and there were a number of strategies that could be looked at. The Chair asked if consideration had been given to the maximum work load of plastics that could be received. It was advised that an industrial shredder had been purchased to accommodate the demand.

Councillor Waters Bunn asked with regard to the bins at location on the Sea Wall, the Head of Environmental Services advised that the intention was to replace all the bins at this location and a smaller side loading vehicle would be used to empty these. The intention for introducing new bins would hopefully see the emptying needs decrease. The new bins would be moveable so could be moved if demand was higher in different locations.

Councillor Waters Bunn asked with regard to the botte ships and whether the bottles required to be cleaned before they were placed into the bin, it was confirmed that aslong as bottles were empty this would be sufficient.

Councillor Waters Bunn asked with regard to re used plastic and whether the plastic could be dyed a different colour, it was advised that colours would not be added to the plastics.

Councillor Martin suggested that a planter could be given back to the businesses who were involved in the project so that the linkage could be seen.

Councillor Robinson-Payne commented that in her opinion there was a need to send communications out to residents around what can be put into bins and what cannot.

Councillor Robinson-Payne asked with regard to the composting and whether there was a capacity to increase the composting amount, it was advised that the project is restricted to 10 businesses but there would be opportunity for businesses to be involved in other ways if not included within the 10.

Councillor Robinson-Payne asked with regard to the contamination of the recycling bins, it was advised that the bins would have locks on them to try and prevent contamination.

Councillor Cameron asked whether plant pots could be recycled, it was advised that for the first 6 months business waste would be the focus but plant pots would hopefully be considered in the future.

Councillor Annison asked whether the plastic strips on materials such as bricks would be able to recycled, it was advised this would need to be looked into to look at what plastic was used.

Councillor Mogford asked whether anything was being added to the plastics to be used outside to enhance the life of these due to sun damage, it was advised this matter is being considered and experiments and testing is ongoing to look at the UV proofing.

Councillor Carpenter asked whether the products made could be recycled again, this was confirmed. Councillor Carpenter asked with regard to the smart bins, it was advised that these were currently being procured. 

Councillor Carpenter asked if the bottle ships were to be rolled out in other places of the Borough, it was advised that the three locations were confirmed and that currently there were no plans to roll out elsewhere.

Councillor Waters-Bunn asked if the Committee could be invited to the Pressure Plastics East unit, this was confirmed..

Councillor Waters-Bunn commented on a facebook post which had stated that one lorry had been sent to empty both green and black bins, the Head of Environmental Services Officer advised that this is not the normal process and two lorries are sent out on rounds, he advised there had been occasions were a contaminated bin had been picked up by one lorry but this was not normal practice.

RESOLVED :

That the Environment Committee note the contents of this report and endorses the continued development of this project.

The Committee received a presentation and update from the Head of Environmental Services on the following :-

• Keep Britain Tidy 
• Ooops something went wrong - GYBC Scheme due to start in September 2022

Councillor Carpenter commented on her trip to the Costessy waste / recycling unit and she had been amazed as to what people had tried to recycle, she suggested that the Committee should undertake a visit to the facility to see the work that is undertaken.

Councillor Robinson-Payne commented that she was pleased to see the work that was ongoing to target recycling and welcomed the opportunity to visit the recycling facility.

Councillor Annison asked if local schools were to be visited as part of the project, this was confirmed.

Councillor Waters-Bunn asked if there was anything that could be done with regard to groups that use council facilities and not recycle or remove the rubbish. The Head of Environmental Health commented that these groups could be contacted to highlight the need to remove rubbish appropriately.

Councillor Talbot commented on the amount the schools already cover with regard to plastics and recycling.

The Chair referred to a recent study which had been undertaken to look at the amount of plastics used.

The Committee received and considered the Strategic Directors report.

Councillor Jeal asked why the Committee would be invitation only and not open to all the Committee to attend, it was confirmed that the invitation would be for external attendees and not Committee members.

Councillor Robinson-Payne sort clarification as to whether the group would be a working group, it was advised that this would be a group brought together to discuss ideas and would have no decision making powers.

RESOLVED :

That the Committee approve the Terms of Reference for a Great Yarmouth Sustainability Forum.

Councillor Waters-Bunn asked the following :-

Is it possible that officers can advise members what they should do when complaints have been received from residents about neighbours smoking illegal substances? Especially when the smell has permeated through the walls and floorboards into the residents home.  What remit does GYBC have over this issue, with regards their own tenants as well as private residents? What can the Environmental Health department do in these instances and what advice and guidance should the members give their residents.

The Head of Environmental Health reported that currently there is very little the Borough Council can do with regard to the smoking of Cannibas or any substances, a statutory nuisance needs to be deemed as unreasonable behaviour unfortunately smoking cannot be taking into account for this. Anti social behaviour legislation cannot be used for just smoking but could be looked into if these homes are holding regular parties or events.

Councillor Bird referred to the selective licensing scheme that had been introduced and asked why this couldn't be put onto the landlord to ensure they are keeping tenants in check, the Head of Environmental Services advised that he would have to check if this was a condition that could be added. It was agreed the Head of Environmental Services would look into this matter.

Councillor Carpenter commented that she fully agreed there was a need to tackle this issue as it was permeating the air in and around the Borough.

Councillor Jeal commented that he felt it would be difficult to impose restrictions onto the selective licensing landlords as they cannot monitor all the time. He commented that there was a need to write to the local police to highlight the concerns of the Committee.

Action : It was agreed that a letter would be written on behalf of the Committee to highlight concerns of cannabis smoking within the Borough.

Action : The matter of cannabis smoking to be raised with the Chairman of the Housing and Neighbourhoods to raise concerns with our own tenants.

Councillor Martin advised that these matters could be discussed at the local SNAP meetings which had police attendance.

Councillor Lawn commented that it was difficult to prosecute a smell it would require evidence of a person smoking to be able to prosecute.

Meeting ended 20:16