The Communications Advisor presented the report which gave an overview of the activity from April to June 2019. Good progress was being made on the Destination Recycling Film which aimed to inform and reassure residents about what happened to recycling once it was collected. The film was expected to be complete within the following 2-3 weeks after the meeting and would be shown to the members at the next meeting in September 2019. A targeted social media campaign, that will raise awareness of the film and drive traffic to it, is planned for the summer 2019.

A number of work streams were ongoing including the promotion of the garden waste collection service and continuation of Household Reuse and Recycling Centre customer satisfaction surveys, the results of which were published on the SLWP website.

Viridor were holding an open day at the Beddington Landfill site on Thursday 20 June 2019 and at the time of the Committee there had been 37 visitors registered to attend and 50 further who had expressed interest which would take the event over capacity. A further date would therefore be added for July to meet this demand. The focus of the open day would be on the restoration work to Beddington Farmlands. Information about the restoration would also be placed in the new bird hides around the site which would be accessible once the permissive footpath reopened in July 2019.

The Beddington Energy Recovery Facility Virtual Visitors Centre was now live and once takeover was complete, videos taken from within the Beddington facility would be added to the site.

Emissions monitoring data continued to be published on the Virtual Visitors Centre twice monthly. There had been no exceedance of any of the levels during May 2019.

The construction of the education centre was also nearing completion.

The Communications Lead noted that a statement had been published by the Partnership responding to questions about radioactive waste being treated at the Beddington ERF. The Communications Lead reiterated that the facility is not permitted to receive or treat radioactive waste.

In relation to social research to be undertaken, the 4^th triennial residents survey was to be commissioned this year. The contract for this would be awarded by the end of June, with surveys completed in July and the findings produced at the end of August 2019.

Since publication of the report, the Communications lead advised members that the Boroughs had submitted a funding bid for food recycling awareness activities which would take place in October 2019 should the bid be successful.

Members provided positive feedback on the Virtual Visitors Centre and requested further information to be provided in the future regarding the energy network provided through the ERF.

In response to a question regarding the incidences of exceedances of emissions limits values at the Beddington ERF, the Communications Lead advised that there had been two short-term exceedances of carbon monoxide which had been reported to the Environment Agency as is required within the permit. These exceedances had taken place in March and April respectively. The first in March had been a direct result of one of the commissioning tests and the one in April by inhomogeneous waste.

Members requested further emissions comparators; to help put the emissions produced by the ERF in some wider context.  The Communications Lead provided some examples that he had developed in liaison with the National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory (based on their 2017 estimates): 

Bonfire Night celebrations (on and around 5th November) release 10 times more dioxins into the atmosphere than all the UK’s 40 plus energy from waste (EfW) plants do during an entire year (EfW plants contribute 0.40% of the UK’s total dioxin emissions compared with 3.8% from bonfire night celebrations alone*)

Almost a third (32%) of the UK’s Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) emissions are produced by us driving our cars, vans and lorries.  In comparison, all the UK’s 40+ energy from waste (EfW) facilities combined only produce 1.2% of the NOx emissions dealing with all our non-recyclable rubbish.*

Domestic wood burning stoves and open fires produce 570 times more particulate emissions each year than all the UK’s 40+ energy from waste (EfW) plants combined.  EfW plants produce 0.04% of UK particulates (PM10 and PM2.5), compared with 23% from domestic wood burners*

The Communications Lead explained that these were informed estimates that came from the National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory; a government-funded and highly respected source.  The Communications Lead noted that the next stage was to develop emissions comparators specific to the Beddington ERF.  

Members thanked the Communications lead for his hard work.

RESOLVED: That the Committee noted the contents of the report and commented on any aspects of communications and engagement activities relating to the Phase A and Phase B contracts.