Issue - meetings

Report of the Head of Planning, Transportation and Environment (PTE/18/21) on the Plastics Strategy and Action Plan, attached.

An Impact Assessment is also attached.

(Councillors Connett, Dewhirst, Greenslade, Hannaford, Hodgson and Shaw attended in accordance with Standing Order 25(2) and spoke to this item).

The Cabinet considered the Report of the Head of Planning, Transportation and Environment (PTE/18/21) circulated prior to the meeting in accordance with regulation 7(4) of the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Meetings and Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012 on the proposed Plastics Strategy and Action Plan. 

The Plastics Strategy contributed to delivering Devon County Council’s over-archingEnvironmental Policy, which provided a framework for managing and improving the Council’s environmental performance.  The Board also ensured that strategies and action plans were developed and implemented to deliver it.

The Report referred to an earlier Notice of Motion from Councillor Biederman calling for the Council to remove single-use plastic items from its premises which had RESOLVED that the Council provided leadership in avoiding single-use plastic items to achieve a ‘Plastic Free Coastline’, and further committed to addressing the issue further through the Authority’s environmental performance agenda.

The Plastics Strategy and Action Plan, attached at appendix 1 to the Report was the Council’s response to the issue of plastics accumulating in the environment.  The Strategy majored on single-use food and beverage packaging and tableware due to the prominence of this type of waste in marine plastic litter.  It had four strategic themes that considered how the Council could use its position and responsibility for service delivery to support collective action. The themes were:

·         Getting our own house in order;

·         Working with suppliers and contractors;

·         Helping raise awareness across Devon; and

·         Enabling Devon to take action.

The Review of the Council’s Single-Use Plastic Consumption, attached at Appendix 2 was the first completed action of that Action Plan and provided a baseline of the Council’s consumption of single-use food, beverage packaging, tableware and noted the disposal options available to staff.  It then described what action would be taken, where economically and practically viable to:

(1) remove all single-use plastic, food and beverage packaging and tableware by 2020; and

(2) ensure appropriate recycling routes were available to capture plastic.

The Head of Service’s Report also incorporated an Impact Assessment relating to the possible impacts of the proposal, which had been circulated previously for the attention of Members at this meeting in order that as part of its determination of the next steps in the process the Cabinet might have full regard to the responsibilities placed upon it to exercise its Public Sector Equality Duty, under s149 of the Equality Act 2010.

The assessment highlighted that the initiative would have no negative effects on equality considerations and had been designed with the objective of improving environmental outcomes.  This would have a subsequent flow of benefits for the health and happiness of the whole population and help maintain the flow of natural resources into the local economy.

The Cabinet heard that Governance arrangements were in place through the Environmental Performance Board and Environmental Performance Management Group which monitored project implementation quarterly and produced an annual Environmental Performance Statement.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 191