Collected recycling that is NOT recycled and therefore landfilled or incinerated

The request was refused by Northampton Borough Council.

Dear Northampton Borough Council,

I understand that recycling is collected by Northampton Borough Council (NBC) and that as a result recycling rates are improving. Nevertheless some of this collected material will not be suitable for recycling and will find its way back into the main waste disposal system.
I would like the annual figures for general waste and contaminated recycling material sent to landfill, and if relevant to incinerators.
I would like figures from 2010 to 2019 :
Total Landfill tonnage
Total general waste from kerbside collections of black bins sent to landfill
Total recycling materials from kerbside recycling boxes/bins not recycled by NBC and sent to landfill.
Total waste/recycling which is sent for incineration.
Any further breakdown of the data that you see fit. In summary, I am trying to determine if the stated recycling rates at collection are reflected in the amount of non-recyclable waste that finds its way to landfill.

This request was originally sent to NCC who responded as follows "Northamptonshire County Council is the Waste Disposal Authority in Northamptonshire, whereas Northampton Borough Council is a Waste Collection Authority and has responsibility for the kerbside collection services. Through its contract with Veolia, Northampton Borough Council makes arrangements for the recyclables collected at the kerbside, including any waste that results from this (due to contamination or rejects). Therefore, you will need to contact Northampton Borough Council who will be able to answer your questions."

Yours faithfully,

Martin Sawyer

Requests, Northampton Borough Council

Please accept this response as acknowledgement that your request has been received by Northampton Borough Council. You will not normally receive another communication until the Council responds to your request. Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOI) and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (EIR) the Council has 20 working days in which to respond to your request. If you require any further information regarding your request please contact Information Governance, The Guildhall, Northampton, NN1 1DE. Tel 01604 838536 / 838841 or by responding directly to this email.

Requests made for personal information under the General Data Protection Regulations 2016 (GDPR) are called SAR’s (Subject Access Requests) and are normally responded to within 28 days. However, the Council may contact you for further information to clarify your request before it can begin collating your personal data. If you require any further information regarding your SAR or your rights under the GDPR please contact The Data Protection Officer, The Guildhall, Northampton, NN1 1DE. Tel 01604 838536

To find out more about how the Council handles your personal data please visit www.northampton.gov.uk/privacynotices<http://www.northampton.gov.uk/privacynot...>

Please note that the contents of this e-mail, including any attachments thereto, may contain information which is confidential or privileged, and which is solely for the use of the recipient named above. The information contained in this e-mail, and in your reply, may be subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 or other legislation, and its confidentiality cannot be guaranteed. If you are not the intended recipient, please be aware that any disclosure, copying, distribution or use of the contents of this e-mail is strictly prohibited.

Northampton Borough Council, The Guildhall, Northampton, United Kingdom, NN1 1DE
+44 (0)300 330 7000
www.northampton.gov.uk

Requests, Northampton Borough Council

1 Attachment

Good morning Mr Sawyer

 

Please find attached the Council’s response to your recent FOI request.

 

With kind regards

 

Stephanie Everitt | Information Governance Officer

01604 838841

 

Chief Finance Officer | Northampton Borough Council,

The Guildhall, St Giles Square, Northampton NN1 1DE | 0300 330 7000

 

 

Please note that the contents of this e-mail, including any attachments thereto, may contain information which is confidential or privileged, and which is solely for the use of the recipient named above. The information contained in this e-mail, and in your reply, may be subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 or other legislation, and its confidentiality cannot be guaranteed. If you are not the intended recipient, please be aware that any disclosure, copying, distribution or use of the contents of this e-mail is strictly prohibited.

Northampton Borough Council, The Guildhall, Northampton, United Kingdom, NN1 1DE
+44 (0)300 330 7000
www.northampton.gov.uk

Dear Northampton Borough Council,

Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.

I am writing to request an internal review of Northampton Borough Council's handling of my FOI request 'Collected recycling that is NOT recycled and therefore landfilled or incinerated'.

I have been unable to extract the data from the links that you suggested.
I passed on my request, and your response, to an industry professional and they have advised the following :

"The information is not providing you with the information you wanted.....

The data is simply national household recycling rates, not regional... I would ask them to provide regional waste recycling rates and whether you are able to arrange a visit to the waste sites where Northampton Waste is going - if you can do this - I can provide you with a checklist/list of questions you should ask. This should then give you the a much clearer idea on the technology Veolia has, how is it monitoring its recycling rates and end of use waste streams. The second link provided is simply the national figure."

So, I respectfully request that you take another look at what I actually requested, and try to provide the information in an easily accessible format.

A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/c...

Yours faithfully,

Martin Sawyer

Requests, Northampton Borough Council

Please accept this response as acknowledgement that your request has been received by Northampton Borough Council. You will not normally receive another communication until the Council responds to your request. Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOI) and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (EIR) the Council has 20 working days in which to respond to your request. If you require any further information regarding your request please contact Information Governance, The Guildhall, Northampton, NN1 1DE. Tel 01604 838536 / 838841 or by responding directly to this email.

Requests made for personal information under the General Data Protection Regulations 2016 (GDPR) are called SAR’s (Subject Access Requests) and are normally responded to within 28 days. However, the Council may contact you for further information to clarify your request before it can begin collating your personal data. If you require any further information regarding your SAR or your rights under the GDPR please contact The Data Protection Officer, The Guildhall, Northampton, NN1 1DE. Tel 01604 838536

To find out more about how the Council handles your personal data please visit www.northampton.gov.uk/privacynotices<http://www.northampton.gov.uk/privacynot...>

Please note that the contents of this e-mail, including any attachments thereto, may contain information which is confidential or privileged, and which is solely for the use of the recipient named above. The information contained in this e-mail, and in your reply, may be subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 or other legislation, and its confidentiality cannot be guaranteed. If you are not the intended recipient, please be aware that any disclosure, copying, distribution or use of the contents of this e-mail is strictly prohibited.

Northampton Borough Council, The Guildhall, Northampton, United Kingdom, NN1 1DE
+44 (0)300 330 7000
www.northampton.gov.uk

Info Challenges, Northampton Borough Council

1 Attachment

Mr Sawyer,

Many thanks for your challenge however I have to disagree with the comments from your industry professional and therefore your reason for challenging the Councils response.

I have followed the link as provided to you and attached some screen prints for you to understand how you and your industry professional can access the data you requested.

A key element of FOI is to proactively publish data so that individuals do not have to make FOI requests. The data held on recycling and tonnage sent for incinderation by Veolia is clearly published and therefore further re disclosure is exempt under section 21 of the FOI Act.

When you have reviewed all the data published with your industry professional please let me know if there is any data not included from your original FOI questions and I will reopen your challenge and provide clarification on where additional data can be found.

Regards.

David Taylor
Data Protection Officer
Corporate Governance and Risk
The Guildhall
St Giles Square
Northampton
NN1 1DE
 
Telephone: 01604 83 8536
Fax: 01604 83 7057
Email: [email address]
 
FOI disclosure web pages http://www.northampton.gov.uk/site/scrip...

 

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Dear David,

Thank you for assisting me with navigating the data. It is complex and your guidance has been most helpful.

Having quickly looked through the data I am happy that most of the information that I requested is included.

Yours sincerely,

Martin Sawyer

Info Challenges, Northampton Borough Council

Thank you for your challenge to information that has been disclosed. Please accept this response as acknowledgement that your challenge has been received by the Council and will be responded to within 20 working days.

If you require any further information regarding this request please see contact details below.

Information Governance, The Guildhall, Northampton, NN1 1DE. Tel 01604 838536/837409. Fax No 01604 837057
Please note that the contents of this e-mail, including any attachments thereto, may contain information which is confidential or privileged, and which is solely for the use of the recipient named above. The information contained in this e-mail, and in your reply, may be subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 or other legislation, and its confidentiality cannot be guaranteed. If you are not the intended recipient, please be aware that any disclosure, copying, distribution or use of the contents of this e-mail is strictly prohibited.

Northampton Borough Council, The Guildhall, Northampton, United Kingdom, NN1 1DE
+44 (0)300 330 7000
www.northampton.gov.uk