Agenda item

Will talk about the work being undertaken in Eastry to keep the area clean and beautiful.

Question and answer session.  After each presentation there will be an opportunity for the public to ask the presenters questions.

Chris Brown, Waste Services Officer DDC, gave a brief overview of his work and explained the kinds of litter which caused most of the problems in the District: smoking litter and rubbish left out early on waste collection days which were disturbed by seagulls, vermin or youths.  This year weeds had become a problem due to a combination of factors; rain and high winds delaying the early weed spraying and knock-on effects of the contractor running behind schedule.  The Environmental Protection Act had defined areas of the District by grades and each grade had a different period of time in which the contractor was required to restore cleanliness.  These periods ranged from 1-3 hours at the highest level to next-day for less prominent areas and contractors would suffer a financial penalty if they did not achieve the required target.

The number of abandoned vehicles reported after a period of 7 days had decreased by 50%.  Abandoned vehicles did not need to have an expired road fund licence; 14 days were allowed for a vehicle abandoned on private property so that the landowner could be contacted for permission to enter the site.  Operation CUBIT undertaken with the police identified untaxed vehicles and in the last such operation 20 cars were removed in 2 days.  Commercial vehicles used for advertising while parked were difficult to deal with if they were taxed.

Fly tipped TVs and fridges provided no identification but plastic sacks were thoroughly searched to find names and addresses.  Items were taken away unless they were on private land in which case they became the responsibility of the landowner unless the materials were hazardous.  50% of the Waste Service workload came through Customer Service contacts and the rest involved monitoring the area and contractors.

Question and answer session

• Using black sacks is unsustainable because they don’t rot down in landfill and bins are better in rural areas because they keep the vermin out, but I was told I must use sacks, is this right?  Bins must have contained rubbish in them and weigh no more than 25kg; it is likely to be the collectors who don’t want bins used as they have to put them back after collections.
• Will collectors still take refuse from the side and rear of the premises, especially when occupied by elderly people, and why do collectors rush around and finish early?  The contract between DDC and SITA requires refuse to be collected to a certain standard; if the standard is not met and complaints are made then the contractor can be asked to re-do the work.  Complaints about substandard collections should be made to DDC Waste Services.  Street sweepers should not start before 6.30am.  People who cannot carry refuse to the nearest point on the highway should speak to Waste Services and could get an exemption through their GP.  This service takes two weeks to set up.
• Are there any problems with recycling plastics which make up 50% of waste?  DDC’s policy is to recycle materials which can be dealt with properly, such as plastic bottles, rather than other plastics which were less useful or valuable.
• Is DDC considering collecting food waste separately?
• If shredded plastic takes 80 years to break down in a landfill what other ways are there to dispose of it?  A new incinerator plant is proposed which would produce energy and reduce toxins.
• Why is the ragwort in grass verges not sprayed?
• A particular vehicle has been in a council-owned car park for 4 years; it has a Statutory off Road Notification (SORN), what can be done about it? The vehicle must be in a good condition, if it deteriorates further, has no SORN or is untaxed; DDC will trace owners through DVLC and KCC Trading Standards can take action.  Vehicles on private land will need permission from the landowner and police can take action on vehicles blocking private drives.