FOI request (FOIR-713413462)

Waste management, disposal and treatment

Requested Sat 10 May 2025
Responded Wed 25 June 2025

Please find a Freedom of Information request below, submitted under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. This request relates to district-level waste collection and recycling data, including plastic and aluminium waste, contamination rates and kerbside/non-kerbside collection methods. Within this it also covers how you are preparing for the Deposit Return Scheme starting in 2027.

The questions have been limited to five in total to avoid exceeding cost and time limits under the Act.

Please find the questions below:

1. Contractors

a. Please can you provide a list of all contractors of facilities you use for collection of waste and recycling including:

• Kerbside collections (for example, plastic waste dry mixed recycling and aluminium cans).

• Non-Kerbside collections (for example, street bins, bins in public buildings, on-the-go waste).

For each can you include:

- Services provided

- Contract start and end dates

- Annual or total contract value

- Fee structures – whether they are fixed or variable rates, contamination charges/revenue sharing arrangements, and so on

- Performance indicators or incentives used including recycling targets, contamination thresholds and any associated bonuses/penalties

- Where possible can the information be broken down by plastic, aluminium, dry mixed recycling?

- Collection stream – Kerbside or non Kerbside

2. Waste Volumes and Collection Methods

a. Please can you provide the annual tonnages collected (2021/22–2023/2024) of:

- Plastic bottles — including an estimate of the percentage or volume of PET plastic, where available

- Other plastics

- Dry mixed recycling

- Aluminium cans

If tonnages are estimated rather than measured, please indicate the method of estimation.

Can you indicate whether these were collected separately or as part of a co-mingled waste stream? Where possible, can you provide an estimate of the PET plastic content?

3. Contamination and Waste Treatment Outcomes 2021/22 to 2023/2024

a. Please can you provide annual contamination rates (gross tonnage and percentage) for plastic bottles, other plastics, dry mixed recycling, and aluminium cans between 2021/22 and 2023/2024 by contractor/facility. If tonnages are estimated rather than measured, please indicate the method of estimation.

Please also provide the total annual amount (gross and %) of:

- Plastic waste recycled versus incinerated

- Aluminium waste recycled versus incinerated

- All council-collected waste recycled versus incinerated.

4. Kerbside and Non-Kerbside collections

a. Please describe your role in kerbside and non-kerbside waste and recycling collections.

For kerbside collections, please include:

- Whether materials (for example, plastics, aluminium) are collected separately or co-mingled

- Frequency and method of collection

- Any recent or planned changes in response to DRS or EPR

- If on-the-go (public space) bins are part of the system, please include them in your description and identify them separately

For non-kerbside collections (for example, street bins or bins in public buildings), please include:

- Whether separate contracts exist

- Materials collected, including plastic and aluminium

- Volumes (2021/2022 – 2023/2024), with percentages and volumes for plastics and aluminium

- Contract terms and fees structures with contractors

If tonnages are estimated, please state the method used.

5. DRS and EPR Preparations

Please can you provide details of any work undertaken in preparation for the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) and the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). This may include infrastructure investments, installation of reverse vending machines, operational changes, pilot projects, modelling, or public engagement activities.

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Response

1. Contractors

a. Please can you provide a list of all contractors of facilities you use for collection of waste and recycling including:

• Kerbside collections (for example, plastic waste dry mixed recycling and aluminium cans).

Answer: Biffa – Kerbside waste and recycling.

Contract started.

Answer: Started 28th June 2019 and finishes 28th June 2033.

• Non-Kerbside collections (for example, street bins, bins in public buildings, on-the-go waste).

Answer: In-house – Litter bin collections.

Contract started.

Answer: Started 28th June 2019 - No end date.

For each can you include:

- Services provided

As above - Contract start and end dates

As above - Annual or total contract value:

NOTICE OF REFUSAL

The information you have requested regarding contract costs 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 organisation's 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.

- Fee structures

– whether they are fixed or variable rates, contamination charges/revenue sharing arrangements, and so on

Answer: Both

– core contract fee + variable fee for relevant items (for example, bin deliveries, clinical collections)

- Performance indicators or incentives used including recycling targets, contamination thresholds and any associated bonuses/penalties

Answer: KPIs – missed bins and recycling rate

- Where possible can the information be broken down by plastic, aluminium, dry mixed recycling?

Answer: Information not held

- Collection stream

– Kerbside or non Kerbside

Answer: All recycling is collected kerbside except bring sites

2. Waste Volumes and Collection Methods

Please can you provide the annual tonnages collected (2021/22–2023/2024) of:

- Plastic bottles — including an estimate of the percentage or volume of PET plastic, where available

- Other plastics

- Dry mixed recycling

- Aluminium cans

If tonnages are estimated rather than measured, please indicate the method of estimation.

Can you indicate whether these were collected separately or as part of a co-mingled waste stream? Where possible, can you provide an estimate of the PET plastic content?

Answer: Collection frequency is weekly or fortnightly, depending on what road - bring sites 3 times a week. We collect recycling co-mingled. We are only a waste collection authority, the Waste Disposal Authority will be able to provide this information, this is East Sussex County Council:

https//www.eastsussex.gov.uk

3. Contamination and Waste Treatment Outcomes 2021/22 to 2023/2024

a. Please can you provide annual contamination rates (gross tonnage and percentage) for plastic bottles, other plastics, dry mixed recycling, and aluminium cans between 2021/22 and 2023/2024 by contractor/facility. If tonnages are estimated rather than measured, please indicate the method of estimation.

Please also provide the total annual amount (gross and %) of:

- Plastic waste recycled versus incinerated

- Aluminium waste recycled versus incinerated

- All council-collected waste recycled versus incinerated

Answer: We collect recycling co-mingled. We are only a waste collection authority, the Waste Disposal Authority will be able to provide this information. This is East Sussex County Council:

https://www.eastsussex.gov.uk

4. Kerbside and Non-Kerbside Collections

a. Please describe your role in kerbside and non-kerbside waste and recycling collections.

For kerbside collections, please include:

- Whether materials (for example, plastics, aluminium) are collected separately or co-mingled

Answer: Co-mingled

- Frequency and method of collection

Answer: Weekly or fortnightly, depending on what road- bring sites 3 times a week.

- Any recent or planned changes in response to DRS or EPR

Answer: We have not made any adjustments

- If on-the-go (public space) bins are part of the system, please include them in your description and identify them separately

Answer: We do not do recycling on the go. For non-kerbside collections (for example, street bins or bins in public buildings), include: we collect from bring sites, but this tonnage is included within the kerbside collections.

5. DRS and EPR Preparations

a. Please can you provide details of any work undertaken in preparation for the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) and the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). This may include infrastructure investments, installation of reverse vending machines, operational changes, pilot projects, modelling, or public engagement activities.

Answer: We have not made any adjustments regarding EPR of DRS