Attachments
for
Business Paper
6.30pm, Tuesday, 26 February, 2019
|
Council Meeting 26 February 2019 |
Staff Reports
11. DCP Housekeeping Project
1: Project Staging - Our Place Inner West Project – a Land Use Planning Framework for the Inner West Council Area 3
2: Table of Key DCP Alignment Issues and Recommendations 4
33. Ashfield Aquatic Centre Redevelopment Monthly Project Status Report
1: Council Monthly Project Progress Report February 2019 19
2: Community update January 2019 23
44. Reusable Coffee Cups
1: BACKGROUND RESEARCH ON EXISTING REUSABLE COFFEE CUP SCHEMES 25
55. Weed Management
1: Draft IWC Weed Management Policy 33
2: Draft IWC Weed Management Annexure 39
3: Draft IWC Pesticide Use Notification Plan 46
4: Former Ashfield Noxious Weeds Policy 57
5: Former Leichhardt Weed Policy 61
6: Former Marrickville Weed Control Policy 64
7: Former Ashfield Pesticide Use Notification Plan 65
8: Former Leichhardt Pesticide Use Notification Plan 78
9: Former Marrickville Pesticide Use Notification Plan 86
66. Significant Major Projects Governance
1: Office of Local Government Capital Expenditure Guidelines 2010 165
88. Local Traffic Committee Meeting held on 4 December 2018 and 4 February 2019
1: Minutes of Local Traffic Committee meeting held on 4 December 2018 186
2: Minutes of Local Traffic Committee meeting held on 4 February 2019 208
1010. National General Assembly of Local Government 2019
1: National General Assembly Discussion Paper 240
1111. Status of Legal Proceedings
1: Summary of Legal Matters as at 1 February 2019 256
1212. Investment Report as at 31 December 2018
1: IWC Dec18 275
2: IWC Economic and Investment Portfolio Commentary Dec18 312
1414. Dawn Fraser Baths $2.2Million Greater Sydney Sports Facility Fund Agreement
1: Greater Sydney Sport Facility Grant 314
2: Community Sport Infrastructure Grants Program 315
2525. Code of Conduct Complaint Investigation
1: Procedures for the Administration of the Model Code of Conduct for Local Councils in NSW (March 2013) 316
Council Meeting Item 3 Attachment 1 |
Ashfield Aquatic Centre Redevelopment Council Status Report February 2019 |
|
1.0 Budget
Approved Budget |
$44,752,145 |
Forecast Final Cost |
$44,752,145 |
Remaining Contingency |
$3,231,473 |
Expenditure to Date |
$3,020,875 |
Key Variances in Period |
Nil |
2.0 Value Management
Council resolved that ‘the final budget includes $1,500,000 in value management savings to be negotiated by officers’.
Weekly Value Management workshops commenced in January 2019 and will continue until the value management target of $1.5M is reached. Below is the progress of value management to date:
All stated figures exclude GST.
3.0 Onsite Progress
Works completed over the past month include:
· fence installation,
· site shed installation; and
· services disconnection.
Works forecast for the coming month include:
· Demolition commencement.
4.0 Head Construction Contract - FDC
Early Works contract executed 24 December 2018.
Formal contract execution forecast for late February / early March 2019.
5.0 Statutory Approvals
Development Application Approval: Approval issued 24 May 2018.
Construction Certificate: In progress
6.0 Programme
Stage |
Date |
Early Works Commence (Fencing, Sheds, Services Disconnect, Etc) |
21 January 2019 (Actual) |
Early Works Complete (Fencing, Sheds, Services Disconnect, Etc) |
28 February 2019 (Forecast) |
Demolition Commence |
28 February 2019 (Forecast) |
Earthworks and Civil Works Commence |
29 April 2019 (Forecast) |
Construction Works Commence |
03 June 2019 (Forecast) |
Construction Works Complete |
July 2020 (Forecast) |
Handover and Commissioning |
August 2020 (Forecast) |
Facility Open |
August 2020 (Forecast) |
7.0 Project Assurance
· The Project Control Group continues to meet monthly.
· Tender Release – Independent review of the project completed by PPB Advisory June - July 2018 - Completed
· Tender Assessment – Independent review of the tender panel assessment by Prevention Partners August – November 2018 - Completed
· Contract Commitment – Independent review of the contract negotiations by Prevention Partners November - December 2018. - Completed
· Site Works, Piling & Demolition – Current Action
· All Trade Shop Drawings are Final – Future Action
· Building Secure, Pool Secure – Future Action
· Commissioning – Future Action
· Readiness For Service – Future Action
· Post Implementation – Future Action
8.0 Key Risks
· Programme delay due to late issue of the Construction Certificate.
There is a Sydney Water Section 73 approval pending. DA amendment required for the Construction Certificate is being considered 5th March 2019 by IHAP. The Sydney Trains consent was received 6th February 2019. The Project Control Group is reviewing commencing demolition in preparation of the release of Construction Certificate #1 once the Sydney Water approval is received.
· Cost risk if value management target is not realised.
Weekly Value Management workshops are underway and the Lead Design Consultant is exploring savings in regards to the services.
· Poor coordination of latent discoveries and earthwork requirements during the upcoming works phase.
An independent consultant will be engaged to provide expert technical advice to the project team to identify and resolve any issues quickly.
9.0 Stakeholder Communications
Communication activities performed in the last month:
· Project information flyer released by IWC to residents.
Communication activities planned for upcoming month:
· FDC notification to surrounding residents of demolition commencement.
Monthly reports will be placed on the website page for Ashfield Aquatic Centre Major Project.
10.0 Site Photos
Council Meeting Item 4 Attachment 1 |
INNER WEST COUNCIL
BACKGROUND RESEARCH ON EXISTING REUSABLE COFFEE CUP SCHEMES
Contents
1 Background
2 Examples of reusable cup scheme models
3 Impact of reusable cup schemes
4 The role of local government in reusable cup schemes
5 Challenges to success of reusable coffee cup schemes
6 Conclusion
Coffee culture and good coffee is part of Inner West’s identity. Busy, competitive local coffee businesses, bakeries and other outlets continue to provide disposable cups as the default option for takeaway coffees. It is normal practice to use them. They are perceived as convenient, hygienic, familiar and relatively cheap. With no regulation or limits on single use cups at state or federal level, there is little incentive for cafes or consumers to choose a different path.
Australia disposes of a billion coffee cups each year, or 2.7 million cups each day.
They have negative environmental impacts through their life cycle from production through to disposal and beyond. The manufacture, transport and disposal results in greenhouse gas emissions. The cups are sent to landfill as the cup composite of paper and plastic and plastic lids are not easily recyclable. Many cups become litter in public places and waterways. In these environments cups can break down into small particles and other chemicals that enter ecosystems and food chains.
The “polluter-pays” principle does not apply to disposable coffee cups. Those who benefit directly from the cups through profit, brand recognition and convenience (manufacturers, retailers and customers) do not directly bear the cost of the environmental harm. The associated costs of waste and litter management and disposal, and remediation of environmental damage to ecosystems are paid for by the whole community through governmental taxes and council rates to fund prevention campaigns, clean ups, street cleaning, waste disposal and remediation of environmental damage.
Disposable coffee cups are symbolic of our throwaway society as highlighted on the ABC’s War on Waste. The feature on coffee cups created unprecedented community interest in alternatives to disposables, as well as a surge in sales of reusable cups and many new cafes joining the Responsible Cafes program.
The Inner West community’s vision is that the people and infrastructure of the Inner West contribute positively to the environment and tackle climate change (Outcome 1.1.1, Our Inner West 2036) and that the Inner West is a zero waste community with an active share economy. (Outcome 1.1.5, Our Inner West 2036)
In August 2018, Council resolved to support the Responsible Cafes program and investigate the potential to pilot a reusable cup scheme, inspired specifically by the Freiburg Cup model in Germany.
Reusable cup schemes seek to reduce takeaway coffee cup waste by making it easier for customers and cafes to reuse a single cup many times. In the waste hierarchy, these schemes don’t avoid cup waste completely, since the materials in reusable cups eventually need to be recycled and then disposed of. To avoid waste, the best option would be to drink the coffee in the café from a regular non disposable coffee cup, or not have a coffee.
Reusable cups schemes remove some of the barriers for customers who would normally use a disposable cup such as:
- The cost and effort of buying a reusable cup
- Remembering to take a reusable cup with them
- Carrying around a dirty reusable cup
- Having to wash their own reusable cup
Reusable cup schemes usually try to replicate the disposable cup system as closely as possible so minimal behaviour change is required of customers, café owners and staff. The schemes aim to make it easy for cafes to incorporate the service into their business model with minimal effort from staff or customers. The schemes can offer benefits to cafes such as reducing the cost of purchasing disposable cups, creating a unique service or competitive point of difference, and the feel-good factor that they are doing the right thing for the environment.
Despite their benefits, the schemes are competing with an entrenched culture of convenience, and usually involve a direct cost to cafes and/or customers.
2 Examples of reusable cup scheme models
Many schemes are being developed in Australia and internationally however there is limited publicly available information such as case studies or evaluations. Many schemes only engage with commercial office buildings, events, or individual cafes and are not city wide. An overview of the features of reusable coffee cup programs with links to relevant supplier or initiative information that is publicly available is summarised in the Table 1 below.
Table 1: Features of existing reusable cup initiatives
Feature |
Description |
Examples |
Swap and go
|
Provides customers with a distinctive cup which they use and return to participating cafes for washing. Usually charge a purchase price or ongoing fee for service. Some schemes track cups, or use a deposit to encourage return of the cup and others do not. |
Ruzi – Sydney GreenCaffeen, NSW Huskee Swap Australia Recup - Germany Globelet – NZ/Australia Vessel - Colorado Viva la Cup - Melbourne TCX, Sydney |
Cup check in or tracking |
Customer or cafe can check cup in and out using technologies such as QR codes, RFID, smart phone apps or scanners. |
TCX - Sydney Ruzi – Sydney GreenCaffeen, NSW Vessel - Colorado Globelet – NZ/Australia
|
Collection and washing service |
Supplier collects and washes reusable cups then returns them to cafes. Specific bins or collection points are often provided. This model works best for special events, commercial centres and other locations in which there a single manager has control of waste. |
Go2Cup, Western Australia Ruzi – Sydney
|
Subscription service |
Customer or café pays regular fee for service provided. |
Green Caffeen, NSW
|
Deposit system |
Customer is charged if cup is not returned via credit card details or cash deposit. |
Green Caffeen, NSW Go2Cup, Western Australia |
BYO cup discount |
Cafes offer a discount to customers for bringing their own re-useable cup |
Individual cafes |
|
Customers borrow and return re-useable mugs from cafés free of charge. Usually second hand mugs are provided. |
Cornersmith, Annandale Saint Mondays, Melbourne Tonic Lane, Sydney The Cup Exchange, WA (Emu Point Café and others) |
Café no longer provide disposable cups at all. Customers must drink in-house or bring their own takeaway cup. Some sell or provide reusable cups or mugs to customers to take away. This is the only method that avoids all disposable cup waste. |
Antz Inya Pantz, Perth Tonic Lane, Sydney Handsome Her, Melbourne |
|
Disposable cup fee |
Café charges a small fee for the use of disposable cups. This is model is similar to the way the large supermarket chains now charge customers for the use of single use plastic bags. This model works because people are “more sensitive to losses (fees/penalties) than to gains (discounts)”. |
Brindabella Café, Canberra Starbucks, UK-wide |
Image: Feel good factor: bakeries and cafes currently participating in Green Caffeen in NSW
3 Impact of reusable cup schemes
Organisations working with cafés in Australia estimate that 4 -8% of customers already voluntarily bring their own reusable cups, a figure that was boosted by ABC’s War on Waste. Little information is available about neighbourhood, suburb or city-wide scale reusable cup schemes’ impact on the number of disposable cups used.
The Freiburg cup has been celebrated internationally for providing customers with an alternative, reducing litter in Freiburg, raising awareness of disposable cups and raising awareness of the need to take policy actions to tackle them. However, the Freiburg cup is still not the most preferred option for takeaway coffee in Freiburg. The impact on the scheme on actually reducing single use cups was not tracked. (The Story of the Freiburg Cup, Zero Waste Europe, 2018)
Go2Cup in Mundaring, Western Australia shared the results of their program with Council. They estimated that cafes offering their free no-deposit scheme stocked around 100 cups and had a turnaround of 20-30 cups per week. Cups circulated at a rate that would have resulted in about 10,000 single use cups per year being prevented from going to landfill.
4 The role of local government in reusable cup schemes
Initiatives underway in Australia and overseas show the capability of the community, small businesses and not-for-profits to lead and innovate in this area. The role of local government in existing schemes is largely focused on supporting or promoting initiatives, rather than driving or coordinating them.
All initiatives, except for the Freiburg cup, have been coordinated and driven by start-up companies, not-for-profit organisations or cafes. No schemes except the Freiburg Cup have been coordinated by government or local government. Local government has provided support for reusable cup schemes in other ways including:
· Funds for the ongoing cost of supplying the cups and promotional materials to businesses.
· A one-off financial contribution to support a chosen scheme provider.
· A grant program to support businesses to join a scheme.
· Sponsorship for promotion e.g. co-branding of cups.
· In-kind support through campaign promotion and business recruitment.
5 Challenges to success of reusable coffee cup schemes
While the Inner West community supports moving away from single use culture in principle, any system that aims to reduce the use of disposable cups will face some challenges. The experience of the Freiburg Cup, a voluntary, government-supported scheme has revealed some barriers to success that any scheme in the Inner West is likely to face. Zero Waste Europe’s case study of the Freiburg cup found that consumers had little incentive to stop using disposable cups because
“There is a lack of level playing field between the single-use cups, that are free of charge and do not require additional effort, and the reusable ones, that require taking them back to a café." Zero Waste Europe 2018.
Furthermore, because the municipal government, and not cafes are the driver of the scheme and exclusively bear the cost of the Freiburg Cup. Cafes had little incentive to get rid of disposable cups because the sustainability of the project depended on the political will of the city. Challenges for reusable cup schemes around the world include:
1. Inconvenience of change
For cafes disposable cups are relatively cheap, light to store and handle, can be written on and branded and do not need to be washed or disposed of by the business.
For customers, coffee cups are perceived as normal, hygienic, easy and quick. They can be easily disposed of.
Use of a reusable cups requires changes to how customers and cafés operate even if the change is as small as returning a cup to a cafe.
2. Cost and risk
There is an additional cost to all organized disposable cup schemes. In contrast, customers and cafes absorb the small financial cost of purchasing disposable cups. There is no economic incentive not to use them. Cafes margins on coffee are small and the industry is highly competitive. It is an economic risk for cafes to change a service that is working, requires more of staff or risk losing customers.
3. Habit
People’s values and intentions don’t always match up with their behaviour. Most decisions people make are based on mental shortcuts (fast brain). Even if people are highly motivated to stop using disposable cups, many immediate and competing factors win out at the coffee counter –what friends or family are doing, cost, effort, habit, pleasure and convenience. Drinking from a disposable cup is an accepted social norm (unwritten rule of acceptable behaviour) which means it is especially challenging to change. All schemes require a level of change from customers and cafes that struggle to compete with the default option of disposable cups.
Australia disposes of a billion coffee cups each year. Council has limited direct influence on coffee cup waste but is able to partner with private sector and not-for profit organisations that are actively developing reusable cup schemes to encourage coffee cup reuse to reduce disposable cup waste. Where schemes are active there is limited publicly available information on their environmental impact in reducing disposable cup use. The challenges are great as all schemes are competing with an entrenched culture of convenience and involve additional direct cost to cafes and/or customers. Despite these barriers the schemes can offer Inner West cafes and customers a unique service and the feel-good factor that they are making a better choice for the environment.