Decision details

To consider the report of the Interim Director for Environment and Economy to progress the implementation of a reward scheme for residents that recycle the right materials.

i.  To implement a reward scheme for houses in phase 1;

ii.  To implement a reward scheme for flats in phase 2; and

iii.  To delegate authority to the Director of Environment and Economy following consultation with the portfolio holder for Environment and Transport, to undertake any work necessary within approved budgets and subject to compliance with Contract and Financial Procedure Rules, to deliver the implementation of the reward scheme outlined in this report.

1.  With funding from the weekly collection support scheme (WCSS), it is expected Southampton City Council will introduce a reward scheme for its residents to encourage them to recycle better and recycle more of their household waste. 

2.  Research from Defra informs us that by rewarding residents who recycle their waste, it is anticipated that reward and recognition will bring about behaviour change and increase Southampton’s recycling rate. 

3.  There is growing thought that it is better to reward householders for doing the right thing with their waste than to penalise them for doing the wrong thing.  Southampton’s recycling rate is currently 26%.  Industrial action and the recession have impacted on our recycling rate.  The national target for England is 50% by 2020, so clearly the City has a challenging target to reach. There are also financial incentives to recycle more as the cost of waste disposal increases.

4.  There is opportunity to work with local businesses to develop a sustainable reward scheme once funding from the WCSS ceases.

5.  The scheme proposed is low cost and uses infrastructure and working practices already in place.

A number of incentive schemes such as RecycleBank, Green Points and Nectar Points have been considered.  They have been developed based on residents accumulating points/rewards if they recycle correctly.  These points/rewards are accumulated and can then be spent on local discounts/offers/community projects or used to offset shopping costs or to access recyclable goods via an on-line platform.  These schemes rely on waste disposal savings for their funding and with Southampton’s disposal costs being low compared to the authorities introducing the above schemes, the level of savings generated in the City would not be enough to fund any of these types of schemes.