AGENDA ITEM NO. 11
1.
REPORT TO:
Executive Board
REPORT NO:
CEnO/11/08
DATE:
1 July 2008
LEAD MEMBER:
Councillor David A Bithell
(Environment and Transport)
LEAD OFFICER:
Chief Environment Officer
CONTACT OFFICER:
Steve Jones (Tel: 296021)
SUBJECT:
Waste Collection – Round Review Implementation
WARD:
All
PURPOSE OF THE REPORT
To seek Members’ approval for the implementation of the reconfigured
waste/recycling collection rounds.
2.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
2.1
Following the report to the Environment and Regeneration Scrutiny Committee on 28
June 2006 (Report CEnO/12/06), the Consultants Entec were engaged to redesign the
waste collection rounds. The redesign was required for the following reasons:


2.2
The last round review had taken place back in 2000 and the rounds had
gradually expanded to meet the demands of the large quantity of new housing
developments across the County, inefficiencies had built up in the routing of
the rounds as a result.
The existing rounds are at maximum capacity with no ability to cope with the
further planned growth in housing numbers across the County.
The increase in the recycling service coverage across the County had changed
the volumes of the individual waste streams collected on various routes.
The Consultant has completed the work and has redesigned the routes to maximise
the efficiency of the rounds and reduce the overall mileage covered each day. This
reduces the carbon footprint of the service and gives greater flexibility for the service
to cope with the new housing developments that are expected to be completed in the
County over the next four years.
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2.3
The new rounds will be completed by the existing staff complement within the
Environment Department.
2.4
The revised rounds will require approximately 60% of households to change their
waste collection day, but all waste streams (domestic, green and recyclables) will
continue to be collected at the existing frequency on the new day.
2.5
Due to the number of households that will be affected by the changes to the refuse
collection rounds, the Environment Department is working closely with the Council’s
Communications Unit to ensure the public are kept fully informed of the changes.
Residents will also receive individual correspondence in regard to their change of
day.
2.6
Due to the number of residents that will be affected by the proposed changes, a Risk
Assessment Workshop was held by Council Officers to identify the risks in detail.
2.7
Contingency plans will be put in place to deal with issues that will arise in the early
weeks of the revised service. These include utilising additional labour resources from
other Streetscene service areas (if required), and staff members accompanying the
vehicles on the routes to ensure bins are presented and emptied.
2.8
The new arrangements will also link more easily to the Contact Centre and eventually
to the web-site, allowing residents to enquire about their own collection day, and day
changes around Bank Holiday periods.
2.9
The preferred date of implementation following consultation is 4 August 2008 for the
following reasons:


Every householder’s sticker is renewed between May and August (58,000
properties)
Avoid the launch of the One Stop Shop (late Autumn)
To avoid inclement weather.
3.
RECOMMENDATIONS
3.1
That the Chief Environment Officer be authorised to proceed with the
implementation of the new rounds.
3.2
That the implementation will commence during week commencing 4 August
2008.
REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATIONS
The proposals will improve the efficiency of the waste collection service. This will be
achieved by improving the carbon footprint of the service and by providing capacity to deal
with the proposed new developments in the County in the coming years.
John Bradbury
Chief Environment Officer
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4.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
4.1
It is in the region of 8 years since refuse rounds were last reviewed by Wrexham
County Borough Council. In the intervening years more than 4,000 properties have
been built in the Wrexham area, including a number of housing estates with more
than 100 new homes in each. This has been exerting pressure on some of the existing
rounds and their ability to complete the day’s tasks in the time available.
4.2
In the next three years it is expected that a further 2,700 residential properties will be
constructed. Land availability actually allows for a total of 3,680 dwellings with
2,985 on large sites of more than 10 homes and 696 on small sites, but completions
will depend on market conditions. It is therefore important that additional capacity is
built into rounds to allow for these projected new builds.
5.
CONSULTATION
5.1
‘In house’ stakeholders have carried out a risk assessment of the proposal.
5.2
Trades Unions have been consulted and have given their support to the proposal.
5.3
A communications team including Officers from the Council’s Press Office have
been consulted regarding the launch of the scheme.
6.
SCRUTINY COMMITTEE COMMENTS
6.1
This item is being considered by the Environment and Regeneration Scrutiny
Committee at its meeting on 25 June and any comments will be reported verbally to
the Board meeting on 1 July 2008.
7.
IMPLICATIONS
7.1
Policy Framework – By increasing available capacity the proposal will increase the
recycling rate and reduce landfill quantities, which is one of the Corporate Priorities.
7.2
Budget – The proposal will generate a saving in fuel costs, this will be offset by the
initial implementation costs ie publicity, and to partially offset the increase cost of
fuel since 2007.
7.3
Legal – None.
7.4
Staffing - No additional manual labour requirements.
7.5
Equalities/Diversity – Day change information given to residents will be available in
varying language formats. The Council’s waste collection procedures and practices
have been impact assessed and designed to meet the needs of relevant minority
groups.
7.6
Other – A risk assessment has been completed.
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8.
EVALUATION OF OPTIONS
Options evaluation was carried out as part of the Consultants’ report, a copy of which is
available in the Members’ Library.
BACKGROUND PAPERS
Round Review Key Issues
LOCATION
Appendix 1 attached
Entec Consultant’s Report
Members’ Library
WEBSITE INFO.
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Appendix 1
KEY ISSUES
Why undertake a Round Review now?
1.1
It has been 8 years since the last round review and the additions to the property
numbers has created inefficiencies in the round make up. Since the last review, the
extension of the recycle with Michael scheme has also introduced some anomalies to
the rounds.
1.2
Wrexham County Borough Council currently consists of some 58,000 households and
more than 130,500 residents. Refuse and recycling collections are arranged into 14
refuse and recycling rounds (including the bag run), including one round that is
primarily a trade round. In the last three years, a new round has had to be added, due
largely to new housing developments that have been unable to be absorbed by existing
rounds.
1.3
Wrexham has now all properties on a weekly kerbside dry recycling scheme and an
alternate weekly residual/garden waste collection, known as the “Recycle with
Michael” Scheme. Now that this process has been completed it is appropriate that the
rounds are revised.
Challenges
1.4
There is a highly seasonal payload of garden waste, ranging from rounds being
completed as early as 10.00 am in winter and early spring months to not managing to
complete a standard round by 4.30 pm during periods of good growing conditions.
More than two daily tips at the garden waste outlet can be required, which means an
average turn around tipping time of over an hour for each tip whilst the outlet is
situated near Chester. (To be sent to PFI facility once completed).
1.5
There is also a real challenge for the trade waste service which must be provided with
at least a weekly collection frequency. The challenge occurs on green weeks when the
trade customers need a collection of residual waste when the vehicles are collecting
green waste from domestic properties. They must either re-trace their steps before or
after tipping the green waste to collect trade waste or depend on the help of other
vehicles to collect their trade waste for them. Assistance is given on an ad hoc basis
generating much increased mileage without the benefit of efficiencies gained from
being able to pre-plan these additional miles.
Round Review Procurement
1.6
The decision was taken in 2006 to engage the services of consultants to undertake the
round review, due to the extent to which changes had occurred in the delivery of waste
services over the previous four years and the complexity of the alternate weekly
collections, combined with weekly recycling collections and trade waste collections.
1.7
A tendering exercise was carried out and the winning bidder was Entec UK with an
initial bid of some £25,000. A contract was drawn up and agreed, which commenced
on 1 January 2007.