Issue - meetings
Questions by the Public
Meeting: 06/12/2010 - City Council (Item 64)
QUESTIONS BY THE PUBLIC
To receive questions from and provide answers to the public in relation to matters which, in the opinion of the Lord Mayor, are relevant to the business of the meeting in accordance with paragraph 10 of the Constitution.
Questions, of no longer than 50 words, can be submitted to the Democratic Support Unit, Corporate Support Department, Plymouth City Council, Civic Centre, Plymouth, PL1 2AA, or email to democraticsupport@plymouth.gov.uk. Any questions must be received at least 5 clear working days before the date of the meeting.
Minutes:
The Lord Mayor indicated that there were three public questions to be considered at the meeting in accordance with paragraph 10 of the Constitution.
Mr West attended the meeting and asked the following question. Councillor Michael Leaves responded as set out below.
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Question No
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Question By |
Cabinet Member |
Subject |
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4 10/11 |
Mark West
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Councillor Michael Leaves |
Waste to energy incinerator in the dockyard, North Yard |
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1. What is the full impact assessment to the local community of the siting of a waste to energy incinerator in the dockyard, North Yard, including social and environmental impact of lorries, fumes, noise and traffic danger?
2. How does this positively impact on the drive for 80% recycling of Plymouth Waste?
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Response to item 1: If the North Yard solution is successful, a full environmental impact assessment will be prepared by the contractor and submitted as part of their planning application. This environmental assessment will include an assessment of all the relevant environmental factors including those mentioned and will be a public document.
This document will be fully considered as part of the planning application process by various statutory consultees and organisations involved including the Environment Agency and highway authorities and their responses will be considered along with community views as part of the planning determination.
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Response to item 2: The Council’s Municipal Waste Management Strategy 2007 - 2030 was adopted in April 2007 following consultation with the community and other interested parties. The Strategy adopted a combined recycling and composting rate of 39% with intermediate targets of 30% by 2010 (already achieved) and 33% by 2015. However, the Council will seek to improve upon these figures where practicable to do so.
The Municipal Waste Management Strategy evaluated a range of possible options for managing the City’s Municipal waste. The preferred option was chosen following a series of workshops and consultation exercises. The adopted preferred option includes an Energy from Waste solution for the final treatment of non-recycled waste. This option was shown to increase recycling and composting, reduce the impact on the environment from CO2 emissions and meet legal requirements to divert biodegradable waste from landfill.
Evidence from other countries in Europe with Energy from Waste facilities indicates that recycling and energy recovery are not mutually exclusive options but are part of a structured approach to managing waste effectively. This is also supported by evidence in this country in areas where modern Energy from Waste facilities exist. The role that energy recovery has to play in the future has already been endorsed by the Coalition Government.
The Council is confident that the Municipal Waste Management Strategy sets out a positive programme which increases recycling, recovers value from non-recycled material and offers a cost effective service to residents of the City.
The Municipal Waste Management Strategy and all the supporting documents are available from the Council’s website. Hard copies are available in the libraries and a copy can be supplied on a CD upon request.
The Council has not made a commitment to ... view the full minutes text for item 64 |
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