To receive any apologies for absence.

None received.

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting, in particular the external speaker Phil Ledson from Drenched.

The Chairman informed everyone present that the meeting was being recorded and that the audio would be made available on the RBWM website.

The Chairman informed everyone present of the fire evacuation procedures and asked that all mobile phones were switched to silent during the meeting.

To receive declarations of interests from Members of the Panel in respect of any item to be considered at the meeting.

None received.

To note the Part I minutes of the meeting of the Panel held on the 9 May 2017.

The Part I minutes of the meeting held on the 9 May 2017 were agreed as a correct record.

The Chairman had a couple of questions / points which she hoped would be answered as part of the update from the Waste Strategy Manager.

Opening remarks by the Chairman on the Panel’s role.

The Chairman informed everyone present that the RBWM was committed to improving the sustainability of the Borough and that the Council needed to engage with staff, residents and local businesses to help improve their sustainability.  It was noted that the RBWM needed to also concentrate on maintaining the savings achieved to date.

By Phil Ledson (Soaked).

The Chairman welcomed Phil Ledson (Global Sales Manager – Drenched) to the meeting and invited him to address the Panel.  Members were given a brief presentation on the Tap Water Saving Volumiser.  The presentation covered the following:

·         The concept of sustainability.

·         So what does the Drenched product offer?

·         Trial results from Unilever.

·         Short video on the Drenched product.

·         Product: Single volumiser.

·         Product: Dual flo.

·         Shower.

·         What else we can bring…

In the ensuing discussion the following points were noted:

Ø  That Drenched focused predominantly on water savings and energy efficiencies.

Ø  Drenched distribution partners, one of which was Soaked, were used to sell the products.

Ø  With regard to the water energy excess – have 7.2billion people on the planet.  As it stands at the moment we need 79 planets to sustain that amount of people for fresh water.  It was noted that as the population increases so does the demand for agriculture, food and fresh water.  Saline plants were used which required power and power stations operated on fresh water.

Ø  That Drenched have developed over a very short period of time.

Ø  Drenched applied last November to ‘Pitch at the Palace’ and won. 

Ø  Everyone was given an Drenched product and informed that it could save 90% in comparison to a standard 6 litre per month aerator.

Ø  That the water saving payback is approximately 3 – 3.5 weeks.

Ø   Due to the nature of the product it allowed the hot water ring main to be switched off as it operated on a cold water flow only. 

Ø  That water temperature would be between 15-20 degrees.

Ø  The Drenched product removed the legionella risk.

Ø  That the carbon footprint could be reduced by 38%.

Ø  That landlords had made requests to fix the shower head flow at 3 litres per minute.   

Ø  That the Drenched green aerator cost £15 which was more than a standard aerator which cost between £4-5 but due to it’s payback it worked well.

The Panel were given a live example of the Drenched product in use in the disabled toilet sink.

The Chairman thanked Phil Ledson for attending the meeting.

A verbal update by the Waste Strategy Manager (Naomi Markham).

The Chairman welcomed the Waste Strategy Manager, Naomi Markham, to the meeting and invited her to update the Panel. 

The Waste Strategy Manager informed Members that with regard to the textile collections the Council now had a cage on one of its collection vehicles which was being used as a trial. It was noted that the trial was working very well and the rest of the collection cages were in the process of being manufactured and should be on vehicles in the next six weeks.  The Panel was informed that if a surge of textiles needed collecting then the bin deliverers could collect additional textiles.  The Waste Strategy Manager explained that between 65 – 100 bags of textiles were being collected a day across the Royal Borough which was what officers had expected.  With regard to the lilac collection bags the Panel was informed that they would be kept in the cages on the collection vehicles and would be replaced when a bag was collected.  It was noted that the Panel would be informed when all nine collection vehicles had been fitted with the cages. 

Councillor Werner stated that he would be interested to see in the future the cost savings of having the cages installed on the collection vehicles as opposed to having dedicated vehicles collection the textiles.

The Waste Strategy Manager went onto explain that the Royal Borough had been using a smoothie bike to help engage with residents, particularly children, when it came to recycling food waste.  It was noted that the smoothie bike had been used at a number of local events, including the Datchet and Maidenhead Carnivals. 

The Panel was informed that the marketing person was off work sick today but was planning a campaign regarding reducing recycling contamination levels via the use of stickers in the Autumn time.  The Waste Strategy Manager informed the Panel that if anyone was interested a trip up to the waste centre could be arranged. 

Councillor Werner questioned when the refusal of garden waste in standard bin collections had been introduced.  The Waste Strategy Manager explained that it had come into force before she had started at the Royal Borough. 

Councillor Sharp informed the Waste Strategy Manager that he had been to the recycling centre in the Borough a number of times over recent months and had not been asked to show identification to prove he was a RBWM resident.  Councillor Werner stated this had also been the case for him.  The Waste Strategy Manager agreed to look into why ID had not been requested on those occasions.  Councillor Sharp suggested that a sign be put in place to explain to people visiting the recycling centre about the new policy and that ID would now be required to be shown.    The Waste Strategy Manager informed Members that the Surrey data had revealed that flytipping had reduced as a result of the new policy and that she would be interested to see what the RBWM figures showed.  It was noted  ...  view the full minutes text for item 92.

By the Energy Reduction Manager (Michael Potter).

The Energy Reduction Manager, Michael Potter, referred Members to pages 11-20 of the agenda and explained that the report provided an overview of the progress being made to deliver the Council’s energy and water reduction strategy.  It was noted that the update report recommended that Members noted progress and commented on the proposed work plan for the next period.  The Energy Reduction Manager explained that the report provided an update on the Annual Energy Consumption Figures 2016/17, Town Hall Water Reduction Project, Schools RE:FIT programme and Building Management System & LED lighting phase 2 projects. 

The key areas covered were noted as follows:

·         Annual Energy Consumption figures 2016/17.

·         Town Hall water reduction.

·         Building Management System & LED lighting phase 2 projects.

·         Schools RE:FIT programme.

·         Work planned over the next period until the next Sustainability Panel

In the ensuing discussion, the following points were noted:  

Ø  That whilst the Energy Reduction Manager had recommended savings for the York House refurbishment the decision was ultimately down to the Property Service Lead, Rob Large, and the consultants who had designed the refurbishment.  The Vice-Chair stated that he believed the long-term savings outweighed the short-term costs.  The Chairman requested that the Energy Reduction Manager work out the savings figure for items such as solar panels, control systems, etc that could be installed at York House.  Councillor Werner added that he felt it would be mad not to make the changes now whilst the refurbishment was taking place. 

Ø  Councillor Sharp commented that there was still no big screen up in the Reception area in the Town Hall.  The Chairman explained that whilst there was a large screen in place in Reception it was not being used and that she would look into why it was not in use.  Councillor Sharp requested that the person who was now looking after the Reception area in the Town Hall, and the big screen in particular, be invited to attend the next meeting and give a progress update. 

Ø  That the Panel agreed that they preferred the higher flow of water shown during the demonstration for washing their hands as they felt it would be more acceptable to all users.  It was suggested that a sign be displayed to explain the water savings made as a result of using the new piece of kit and a clear explanation why hot water was no longer being used.  Councillor Yong stated that she would be interested to hear any feedback received with regard to the trial.  The Chairman asked the Energy Reduction Manager to look into the costs for proceeding with a trial of the Drenched product.

Ø  Councillor Yong suggested that an article be written to explain to elderly residents in particular the huge benefits of some of the gadgets currently available. 

Ø  Regarding the Schools RE:FIT programme the Chairman asked the Energy Reduction Manager to make the procurement team aware that the Panel would like feedback from schools ASAP (before they broke up for the school holidays in July). 

Ø  ...  view the full minutes text for item 93.

The dates of future meetings are as follows (7.30pm start):

•           Monday 18 September 2017.

•           Monday 27 November 2017.

•           Tuesday 30 January 2018.

•           Thursday 8 March 2018.

•           Thursday 10 May 2018.

·         Monday 18 September 2017.

·         Monday 27 November 2017.

·         Tuesday 30 January 2018.

·         Thursday 8 March 2018.

·         Thursday 10 May 2018.

A.O.B.

Martin Fry updated the Panel on the following subjects:

o   ISO 50001

It was noted that Martin Fry had been involved in the update in Beijing which was out for consultation for twenty weeks.  Martin Fry explained that this might be of interest to the Royal Borough and if it was he could add the Energy Reduction Manager to the link.  The Energy Reduction Manager stated that it was of interest and requested that he be added to the link.

o   4 Marlow Road

It was noted that the CEO of CAB at 4 Marlow Road had been in communication with Martin Fry regarding problems they were experiencing.  The Panel was informed that the building had experienced lots of problems with regard to heating and their ventilation controls.  It was noted that the windows were unable to be opened in the hot weather as they had been painted shut and that during the winter they have had to close the office when the temperature had dropped to under 11 degrees.   Martin Fry asked if the CEO could be provided with the contact details of someone at the Council who could help get the above issues resolved.  The Panel informed Martin that both Councillor Derek Wilson and Philip Love could both be approached as the Councillor representatives for the CAB at 4 Marlow Road.  The Chairman requested the contact email address for the CEO so she could follow this up.