Issue details

Proposed decision –

1.         Approve and adopt the Kent Joint Municipal Waste Management Strategy as KCC’s formal commitment to the partnership approach, subject to formal endorsement by all other partner authorities through their governance processes

2.         Delegate authority to the Corporate Director Growth, Environment and Transport, in consultation with the Cabinet Member Environment, to take the actions required to support the Kent Resource Partnership with the implementation of the strategy, subject to the Councils decision-making process.

3.         Delegate authority to the Corporate Director Growth, Environment and Transport to take other necessary actions, including but not limited to entering into contracts or other legal agreements, as required to implement the decision.

Reason for the decision

-      It is a statutory requirement of the Waste and Emissions Trading Act 2003 for two-tier council areas to produce joint waste management strategies.

-      The current strategy review and update is overdue.

Background – Provide brief additional context

-      The management of household waste involves all Kent local authorities; collection of household waste at the kerbside is undertaken by District, Borough and City Councils (waste collection authorities), collected kerbside waste and items brought by residents to household recycling centres are disposed of by Kent County Council (waste disposal authority).

-      To achieve efficient, effective waste management requires all authorities to work together to achieve a whole system approach.

-      The previous joint strategy expired in 2021. An update was delayed due impacts of the pandemic and uncertainty about the many waste policy changes being considered by Government which has been clarified in the last 12-18 months through revised legislation.

-      A light-touch approach to revision was requested by Kent Resource Partnership Officers Group in April 2025. The revision has been led by the Kent Resource Partnership strategic lead and been completed using existing resources, available data and insight, completing a stakeholder review with key contacts and Kent-wide groups and taking into consideration the results of resident surveys relating to waste services completed in 2025.

Options (other options considered but discarded)

-      Option 1: Do Nothing and retain current strategy (Rejected)

The existing strategy is outdated and does not reflect current legislation, national targets, or emerging challenges such as carbon taxation and mandatory food waste collections. Retaining it would leave Kent without a clear roadmap for compliance and performance improvement.

-      Option 2: Minor refresh of existing strategy (Rejected)

A light update would not adequately address significant changes in policy, infrastructure needs and financial pressures. It risks being a superficial exercise that fails to provide strategic direction or stakeholder confidence.

-      Option 3: Develop a new, updated strategy (Preferred)

A comprehensive update ensures alignment with future legislation, national recycling targets and emissions reduction commitments associated with the emission trading scheme. It provides a clear framework for collaboration between KCC and the waste collection authorities as well as supporting infrastructure investment decisions and positioning Kent to meet governmental 2035 recycling targets.

-      Option 4: Full revision with strategic environmental assessment and public consultation (Rejected)

This option would deliver a robust, future-proof strategy that meets statutory requirements for environmental assessment, contains detailed research and analysis and ensures maximum transparency through public engagement. It would likely require appointing external consultants and whilst this would offer the highest level of stakeholder confidence and compliance the increase in both time and costs to develop is not considered the right approach at this time.

How the proposed decision supports Reforming Kent 2025-2028

-      Updating the Kent Joint Municipal Waste Strategy ensures Kent’s approach reflects new legislation and national recycling targets supporting the council’s strategic commitment to modern, efficient services.

-      The refreshed strategy embeds clearer communication and engagement plans, improving transparency and making recycling easier and more consistent for residents.

-      By addressing stalled recycling rates and preparing for carbon taxation the updated strategy helps mitigate rising disposal costs and supports long-term budget stability.

-      Aligning with circular economy principles positions Kent as a leader in sustainability, directly supporting the council’s environmental priorities.

Financial Implications

-     The cost of developing the strategy is limited to officer time spent engaging and consulting stakeholders and drafting the document along with minimal design costs ahead of publication.

-     To deliver the strategy, the Kent Resource Partnership will utilise the local authority contributions to the Kent Resource Partnership budget for agreed projects and/or bid for additional external funding.
In addition, pooling expertise and sharing best practice will enable partners to direct existing service budgets more efficiently to deliver resident communications and targeted campaigns, aimed at improving recycling rates, reducing contamination and reducing the cost of disposal.

Funding to partially cover the cost of managing packaging waste is provided annually from 2025/26 to all local authorities through the Extended Producer Regulations for Packaging (pEPR). This funding contributes towards the cost of managing packaging waste and shifts some of the cost from local authorities to manufacturers. This funding is based on notional South East averages and not based on KCCs actual tonnages or costs incurred and therefore does not provide full cost recovery for the disposal of packaging waste. Utilising some of the funding received KCC established a behaviour change budget of £1.3m pa to increase partnership working, improve recycling rates and reduce residual waste with the dual aim of reducing current cost of disposal as well as part mitigate the new Emissions Trading Scheme growth cost pressure expected in January 2028. In future, the pEPR funding formula will include an assessment of ‘efficient and effective’ services, which will determine the level of future funding given to each local authority (2027-28 onwards).