Environmental Management Division
Equality Impact Assessment- Household Recycling
Centres Service
The Service
Background
Household Recycling Centres
Civic Amenity Site
Under Section 51 (1) (b) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 Dudley
MBC has a duty to provide sites where residents can take their excess waste
for disposal.
The Council has had a civic amenity site for public use available for many
years and since 2003 has also provided a kerbside dry recycling and garden
waste service.
There are several recycling centres available for segregated recycling of
paper and glass and the recent addition of mini centres for use by residents of
flats.
Scope of the Service
Aims of the service, whose needs it is designed to meet, current priorities.
Dudley currently provide 60 Household Recycling Centres around the
Borough which offer a range of containers for the separate collection of
recyclable materials. The Civic Amenity Site is available for people to deposit
items which can be segregated into 24 different categories. The overall aim
of these facilities is to divert a significant amount of recyclable waste from
landfill in order to reach statutory targets.
The facilities provided are typically large individual skip containers. Use of the
sites is normally limited to those able to drive or able bodied enough to walk to
and lift the items into the appropriate container.
The Recycling Centre service is operated in house and the CA site service is
undertaken by a waste management contractor, SITA .
Current priorities include the promotion of this service to residents living in
high rise flats where kerbside recycling is difficult, in order that participation is
maximised.
How the service affects some groups of people differently, access to the
service, groups with particular needs.
Age



Elderly residents may have difficulty carrying larger household items or
lifting them into the containers at the CA site.
Some elderly residents may not drive, limiting their access to the sites.
More information is available through the Council website. Some
residents may not have access to the internet so need to call Dudley
Council Plus.
Disability
 A resident with a physical disability may not drive, limiting their access
to the sites.
 A resident with a physical disability may have difficulty carrying larger
household items or lifting them into the container.
Gender
 No identifiable impact – the service is available to all residents on an
area to area basis.
Race
 Non English speakers may be unaware of the scope of the recycling
scheme and could miss out on crucial information, for example,
opening times at the CA site, different types of material collected,
separation.
Literacy
 The majority of site information is written on signs. Someone unable to
read may not grasp what needs to be done.
Religion/ belief
 No identifiable impact- service available to all residents to go to
specified locations for recycling.
Sexual orientation
 No identifiable impact- service available to all residents to go visit any
specified area for recycling.
Community Cohesion
 No identifiable impact- service available to all residents to go visit any
specified area for recycling.
Social Inclusion
 No identifiable impact- service available to all residents to go to
specified areas for recycling. Mini recycling centres are being provided
to high rise flats.
Data Sources and Information Used
Evidence for judgement, any evidence of public concern (complaints), any
staff concerns, any local or national research to suggest there could be a
problem.
Judgements based on anecdotal evidence from enquiries.
Growing elderly population.
Additional issues:
Survey evidence shows residents in flats are more likely not to recycle.
Any Consultation results used as part of the assessment
Who with, how and a summary of the response.
No formal consultation with specific user groups has been undertaken by
Dudley MBC. A questionnaire is being sent in February 2009 to 6000
residents that includes a question on the Civic Amenity site and other mini
recycling sites.
Key Findings
Changes that could be introduced to make the service work better for
identified groups of people. Further research or consultation required.
A chargeable bulky collection service already exists to help those residents
without appropriate vehicle access. There is also a fortnightly green waste
collection service and a fortnightly dry recyclables service of paper, glass and
cans.
Further research and consultation is required to establish whether other
alternatives available to certain groups of people are reasonable.
Conclusion
There is currently only one civic amenity site within the Dudley Borough which
is at capacity. There is scope for the extended use of small recycling centres
and more liaison is required with elderly and disabled groups to assess what
can be done to facilitate this.
Recommendations
1. To monitor the participation of the recycling centres as follows:
Monitoring the take up or impact of the service in future.
Part of National Indicator 192
Number of people using the CA site.
Amount of material collected from recycling containers.
Cost of the service
2. To gain customer insight that will improve participation in the use of
recycling centres.
Action plan.
Action plan to be in a stronger position to consider equality and diversity issues, as part of a delivery plan refresh and future
planning.
Issue
Task
Required
outcomes
Officer
Resource
responsible
Timeline
Responding to the needs of different ethnic groups including white minorities, but also established white communities.
Language
Development of brand
guidelines for designing
literature. Pictorial poster
design
Understanding
what can be
recycled
Martin Downs/
Paul Edmunds
Waste
Development
Team
Marcomms
WRAP funding
March 2009.
Martin Downs/
Paul Edmunds
Recycling Officer Ongoing
time
Responding to the needs of faith groups and issues.
No issues identified
Responding to the needs of different sexes.
No issues identified
Responding to the needs of disabled and non-disabled people.
Mobility problems
Consultation with identified
Involvement in
groups, ie. Age Concern,
recycling
disability groups
Responding to the needs of gay men, lesbians and straight people.
No issues identified
Responding to the needs of different age groups, for example older and younger people.
Growing elderly
population
Consultation with Age
Concern
Understand any
needs not currently
catered for
Martin Downs/
Paul Edmunds
Recycling Officer Ongoing
time
Greater
participation
Paul Edmunds
In liaison with
DACHS.
Responding to social inclusion issues.
Kerbside recycling Mini recycling centres
not suitable for high
rise flats
April 2008December
2009.
Name of Person Completing EIA
Shirley Birch, Strategy and Performance Manager
Date Assessment Completed
5.1.09
Name of Senior Manager Approving Assessment
Garry Dean, Head of Service Street and Green Care, Chair of Environmental
Implementation Group.
Date Assessment Approved