Freedom of information response

Waste Disposal

Publication date: 
Thursday 4 July 2024
Request: 

According to publicly available data, a proportion of the council’s disposal waste is sent for incineration each year.
 
1.    Can the council detail which companies it currently has a contract with to dispose of waste through incineration?
2.    Can the council state whether either of these contracts require a minimum calorific value to be processed through them each year? If so, what are the arrangements to cover any shortfall (for example, is there a cost and what is that cost?)
3.    Is there a benefits sharing arrangement as part of the incineration contract? E.g. income from the energy sold from the incinerator to the grid and/or by products sold from incineration like Incinerator Bottom Ash (IBA). Can you provide details of those arrangements?
4.    Does the council have an arrangement with central government to delay the collection of food waste beyond March 2026, and if so, is this a result of the existing waste contract?
5.    Can the council also detail the start date of its incineration contract, the overall value and the contract term of the contract including any extensions. In this answer, can the authority explicitly state whether or not the contract is part of a PFI deal. If there are multiple contracts can the council detail each.
6.    Publicly available data details how much waste has been sent for incineration at each waste disposal authority. However I wish to know - at your authority - how much of that waste sent for incineration was initially collected as recycling?  
•    Can you please return the tonnage for the 23/24 financial year, the 22/23 financial year and the 21-22 financial year.  

7.    In the 23/24 financial year - can the council detail which incinerator plants waste was sent to, the location of the plant and the quantity in tonnes sent to each incinerator plant.

*To be clear, this question refers to the physical location to which waste is sent for incineration. I am not seeking the name of the company - I am seeking the name of the plant itself and its location.  

8.    Are there any caveats to allow early exit from the above contracts with no fine e.g. if there were a change in government policy or legislation?

Response: 

According to publicly available data, a proportion of the council’s disposal waste is sent for incineration each year.

  1. Can the council detail which companies it currently has a contract with to dispose of waste through incineration?
    1. Cory Topco Ltd
  2. Can the council state whether either of these contracts require a minimum calorific value to be processed through them each year? If so, what are the arrangements to cover any shortfall (for example, is there a cost and what is that cost?)
    1. There is no minimum calorific value for this contract.
  3. Is there a benefits sharing arrangement as part of the incineration contract? E.g. income from the energy sold from the incinerator to the grid and/or by products sold from incineration like Incinerator Bottom Ash (IBA). Can you provide details of those arrangements?
    1. There is no such arrangement for this contract.
  4. Does the council have an arrangement with central government to delay the collection of food waste beyond March 2026, and if so, is this a result of the existing waste contract?
    1. No it does not.
  5. Can the council also detail the start date of its incineration contract, the overall value and the contract term of the contract including any extensions. In this answer, can the authority explicitly state whether or not the contract is part of a PFI deal. If there are multiple contracts can the council detail each.
    1. The contract start date was 01/04/2024
    2. The overall value is £105 million.
    3. The contract term is for ten years with a five year extension option
    4. The contract is not part of a PFI deal.
  6. Publicly available data details how much waste has been sent for incineration at each waste disposal authority. However I wish to know - at your authority - how much of that waste sent for incineration was initially collected as recycling?
    1. Can you please return the tonnage for the 23/24 financial year, the 22/23 financial year and the 21-22 financial year.
      1. 21-22 1949.15 tonnes of waste were collected as recycling and then identified as non-recyclables and sent for incineration.
      2. 22-23 2054.72 tonnes of waste were collected as recycling and then identified as non-recyclables and sent for incineration.
      3. 23-24 1960.46 tonnes of waste were collected as recycling and then identified as non-recyclables and sent for incineration.
  7. In the 23/24 financial year - can the council detail which incinerator plants waste was sent to, the location of the plant and the quantity in tonnes sent to each incinerator plant.
    1. *To be clear, this question refers to the physical location to which waste is sent for incineration. I am not seeking the name of the company - I am seeking the name of the plant itself and its location. 
      1. This information is available from https://www.wastedataflow.org/home.aspx
  8. Are there any caveats to allow early exit from the above contracts with no fine e.g. if there were a change in government policy or legislation?
    1. Yes, in the event that the contractor breaches the contract the council can terminate the contract with no penalties. Similarly if the Council breaches the contract the contractor can exit with no penalties.

In issuing our response the Council has applied S21 of the Freedom of Information Act.

This means that the information you have requested is already available elsewhere so is therefore exempt from disclosure.  

Request reference:
FOI 13957