Delivering Improvements in Waste and Recycling Collection Services

Delivering Improvements in Waste and Recycling Collection Services

Key Member Concerns Repeat missed collections Missed assisted collections Poor customer interaction Lack of clear information during operational delays • No visibility of communal bins online • •

Aim To deliver a high quality and reliable waste and recycling service to the residents of Edinburgh

How will we get there? • • Service reorganisation Improved consistency of collections Improved customer interactions Improved information Improved engagement and enforcement Investment in staff Investment in vehicles Investment in depots

Service Reorganisation • Creation of a Waste and Cleansing service to better join up functions • Centrally managed but locality-focused • Re-alignment of resources to focus on priorities for residents • More emphasis placed on frontline operations and a ‘right first time’ approach

Improved Consistency of Collections • Settled crews on key waste and recycling streams – residual, DMR (green bin) and food • Mirror collections for residual and DMR with same crew servicing the same properties each week, alongside food caddies being collected by the same crews each week • Investment in a new routing system with incab functionality to assist crews in identifying all properties on routes

Improved Customer Interactions • Clearer communication – working times, response times, updates etc. • Embrace the Channel Shift agenda and optimise processes based around our customers • Improved feedback to customers at a property level as opposed to current street level data • Better use of technology – provide updates to residents on outstanding collections or reasons for non-collection (e. g. bin contaminated)

Improved Information • Good improvements in this area (e. g. kerbside recycling campaign) • Update web pages to allow customers to access key information easily • Improve the online visibility of communal bins for waste and recycling services and update information in a timely manner

Improved engagement and enforcement • Behavioural change campaign to foster greater resident responsibility • Increased engagement with residents in communal areas • Creation of dedicated Waste Enforcement/Compliance team • Better use of legal tools and powers

Investment in Staff • Re-scoping job roles to place more supervision at the front line • More regular briefings/toolbox talks with staff • Better dialogue with frontline staff to identify root cause of persistent problems • Invest in training for staff (e. g. LGV up-skilling, health and safety matters and working practices) • Ensure that equipment and uniform is fit for purpose and always being properly employed

Investment in Vehicles • Major commitment to vehicle replacement and procurement over the past 18 months • Aiming to have whole fleet of reliable vehicles (2 years old or less) by the end of 2016/17 • Four new side-loading vehicles arrive by June 2016 • Increased capacity food waste vehicles to assist service delivery to customers

Investment in Depots • Depot rationalisation project approved by Council in February 2016 • New waste collection depots and transfer stations at Seafield (East) and Bankhead (West) • Food waste facility at Millerhill to be operational by March 2016 • Residual waste facility at Millerhill on target to be operational for start of 2018.

Summary • Acknowledgement from the service that improvements need to be made • Clear plan to improve the service over the medium term • Sense of urgency to deliver improved customer service in the short term (e. g. reduce missed collections and repeat missed collections) • Aim to make the service one where our residents are satisfied and our staff feel proud of their role

Immediate actions • Introduction of settled crews on residual, DMR and food collections • Focus on repeat missed collections and missed assisted collections to identify root cause and update route information • Procurement of in-cab routing system • Improve quality of information provided to customers

Improvements to date • Significant reductions in missed individual residual, food, DMR and glass collections. • Introduction of settled crews on these streams had a positive impact • Increased resident satisfaction in 2015 EPS (increase from 62% to 70%) but much more work to do • Increased recycling rate in 15/16 (increase from 39. 1% to 42%)

Total Missed Bins 10000 9000 8000 Number of Enquiries 7000 6000 5000 4000 3000 2000 1000 0 Total 1 8712 2 5819 3 4209 4 3958 5 4436 6 2654

Missed Bins by Stream 10000 9000 8000 Number of Enquiries 7000 Commuanl Food Communal DMR 6000 Communal Glass Communal Residual 5000 Individual DMR Individual Food 4000 Individual Garden Individual Glass 3000 Individual Residual Trade 2000 1000 0 January February March Month April May June

Areas of concern • Garden waste missed collections – reliance on temporary and agency staff • Side-loading communal collections – accumulations of side waste and bulky items • Wheeled communal collections – formalising collection points, reducing access problems and maintaining reliability

Questions?