FOI request (FOIR-465746273)

Polythene sacks

Requested Wed 16 November 2022
Responded Thu 01 December 2022

This freedom of information request is purely related to the supply, storage, and purchase of polythene sacks and wheeled steel and plastic containers, which would usually be handled by the Environmental section or Waste Management team/Street Scene team.

Polythene Sacks

1. What type of polythene sacks do you currently use for your Environmental/Waste services/Street services such as Commercial Waste/sweeping/clinical/recycling?

2. Please supply full specifications for all sacks (sizes, colours, thickness).

3. Which departments use each type of sack?

4. Where are the sacks stored (for example, depot)?

5. How many pallets can be stored on site?

6. How often do you purchase each type of sack and in what quantities per annum?

7. Please provide current supplier details for all sacks.

8. Please provide all associated current prices per 1000 sacks or alternative quantities if purchased in lesser quantities.

9. Are sacks purchased as part of a tender or spot/quote purchasing?

10. Please provide contact details of the person(s) in charge of the purchasing of polythene sacks.

11. Do you have an annual budget for sacks? if so, what is the overall value?

12. If purchased via tender process, when is the next process planned for?

Containers (Plastic or Steel, including caddies)

13. What type of Containers do you currently use for your Environmental/Waste services?

14. Please supply specifications for all containers.

15. Which departments use each type of container?

16. Where are the containers stored (for example, depot)?

17. How many containers can be stored on site?

18. How often do you purchase each type of container and in what quantities?

19. Please provide current supplier details for all containers.

20. Please provide all associated current prices per container.

21. Are containers purchased as part of a tender or spot purchasing?

22. Please provide contact details of the person(s) in charge of the purchasing of containers.

23. Do you have an annual budget for containers? if so, what is the overall value?

24. If purchased via tender process, when is the next process planned for?

Response

1. Polythene sacks

2.

Recycling collections - Size 16x24x32 X100g, pink tint

Street cleansing - Size 455x735x965mm X 27.5micron, blue

Clinical waste - Size 455x735x865mm x 27micron - Orange Opaque Polythene Bags

3.

Households for recycling containment

Streets teams for litter collection

Clinical waste crew for clinical waste sacks

4. Depot

5. 2 or 3 Pallets at each depot

6.

Recycling collections - circa 1,040,000 sacks per annum. Purchased throughout the year as demand requires

Street Cleansing - circa 240,000 sacks per annum. Purchased throughout the year as demand requires

Clinical - circa 5,000 sacks per annum. Purchased throughout the year as demand requires

7.

Recycling collections - Imperial Polythene

Street Cleansing - Imperial Polythene

Clinical - Imperial Polythene

8. REFUSED - Please see below

9. Not through a tender

10. Cameron Morely, Waste, Cleaning and Open Spaces Manager, cmorley@hastings.gov.uk

11. Not applicable

12. Not applicable

13.

Plastic wheeled bins for householders

Metal bulk bins for recycling bring sites

14.

Grey 1100

Grey 1280

Grey 180

Grey 240

Grey 360

Grey 660

Brown 140

Brown 240

Green 1280

Green 140

Green 240

Green 360

Green 660

Green 1100

Metal 1100 or 1280 for Bring Sites

15. Containers are used for kerbside and communal waste storage at households

16. Depot

17. Rough Estimate - 3,500 x 240L containers

18. See attached spreadsheet

19. Containers are bought from ESE World and Creamer

20. REFUSED - Please see below

21. Not purchased through a tender

22. Cameron Morely, Waste, Cleaning and Open Spaces Manager, cmorley@hastings.gov.uk

23. Not applicable

24. Not applicable

Please note that all answers are given on behalf of the Joint Waste Partnership which is made up of three collection authorities, Hastings Borough Council, Rother District Council, and Wealden District Council, and one contractor.

ADDTIONAL INFORMATION

Hastings Borough Council is a DSO and orders their own street cleaning sacks. We also order extra recycling sacks for our residents to collect from our council offices.

Pink tint recycling sacks - Size: 406x609x812MM x 25MU, 100,000 ordered twice a year, depending on demand

Blue tint street cleaning sacks - Size: 530x1000x1170 x 27MU, 100,000 ordered once or twice a year, depending on demand

NOTICE OF REFUSAL

The information relating to costs (Q8 and Q20) have been refused as this information is commercially sensitive and falls under Section 43 of the Freedom of Information Act - Commercially Sensitive Information

Information prejudicing commercial interests - commercial interest relating to an organisations commercial activity and may include trading activity procurement and relationships with third parties.

The exemption afforded by Section 43 is subject to what is known as the 'public interest test'. When applying the test in a particular case a public authority is deciding whether the public interest is better served by non-disclosure than by disclosure.

Although the Freedom of Information Act does not define 'in the public interest', there is a presumption under Freedom of Information that openness is in the public interest. In applying the public interest test a public authority will take into account the distinction that has been often made by courts between things that are in the public interest, and things that merely interest the public. Where applicants have not identified public interest considerations succinctly or accurately, the public authority has a responsibility under the Act to make their own assessment of the public interest considerations in the particular case.

We have identified the following public interest factors that may be seen as encouraging the disclosure of information:

a) accountability of public spending

We consider these factors to be of limited relevance in relation to the information in question.

Public interest factors seen as encouraging non-disclosure are, generally, the exemptions themselves. In consideration of this matter we came to the following conclusions:

a) ensuring that companies are able to compete for business fairly

b) damage to reputation and/or financial interests

In weighing the factors for and against disclosure we have concluded that the likely benefit to the applicant and the wider public of disclosure is outweighed by the likely prejudice caused by such disclosure and that therefore the public interest is better served by non-disclosure.

For the reasons given above we will not be communicating to you the information you have requested.

Attachments

• FOIR-465746273_FOIR-465746273_1-FOI465746273.xlsx
• FOIR-465746273_FOIR-465746273_1-FOI465746273.xlsx