New Waste Collection Contract 5 August 2013

Transcription

1 New Waste Collection Contract 5 August 2013 From Monday 5 August 2013, Maidstone s waste collection contract is changing. This will lead to improved services and a better experience for our customers. Why is the contract changing? Maidstone Borough Council s current contract with Sita UK Ltd was awarded in 2006 and is due to end on Friday 2 August A new contract has been procured for the next 10 years and will start on Monday 5 August This contract has been awarded to Biffa Municipal Ltd. The new contract is in partnership with Ashford and Swale Borough Councils. This will mean that services will be operated across the three boroughs. However each council will still manage their own service and resolve residents queries. The new contract is providing significant savings to all three councils and will increase efficiency and improve service for local taxpayers. What services are included in the new contract? In Maidstone, the new contract includes: Rubbish collection Mixed recycling collection Food waste collection Garden waste collection Bulky collection Clinical collection Delivery of wheeled bins Large mechanical sweeping Rural litter bins In Ashford and Swale, all street cleansing services are included in the new contract. How are the collections changing in Maidstone? From Monday 5 th August 2013, the key service changes are: Enhanced recycling collections you will be able to recycle glass bottles and jars, food and drinks cartons and most types of plastic food packaging. Collection day changes in order to provide the improved services, collection days will be changing for the majority of residents in the borough Extra recycling collections you will be able to recycle textiles and small electrical items alongside their wheeled bin. These extra collections will not mean extra bins or containers. Textiles will be collected in a carrier bag alongside the recycling bin and small electrical items will be collected in a carrier bag alongside the rubbish bin.

2 Black sack collections properties who can use the food waste and recycling services will have their rubbish collected fortnightly like the rest of the borough Garden waste subscription based service the service will be provided to those who subscribe to the service. Garden waste collection days may also be different to the rubbish, recycling and food collection day. Bulky collections bookings will be available for 1-4 items or 5-8 items. How will residents find out about the changes? A comprehensive communications campaign has already started to ensure all residents are aware of the service changes: New Recycling Calendar you will receive a new 12 page booklet including their new calendar. This is being posted out the week commencing 15 August Garden waste calendar residents who have subscribed to the garden waste service will receive a separate garden waste calendar Advertising Kent Messenger, radio advertising, Park & ride bus advertising Collection vehicles from mid July the refuse and recycling collection vehicles and some street cleansing vehicles will have signs publicising the changes to collection days Roadshows the trailer will be visiting various sites around the borough including Fremlins Walk, Morrisons and Mid Kent Shopping Centre. It will also be following the Saturday freighter service on 20 July Pop-up roadshows are also being held in the villages with staff handing out shopping bags and informing residents of the changes Training refuse collections and council staff have had briefings to spread the word about the changes. A Members briefing has also been held Why are the collection days changing? The collection days are changing to improve efficiency across the three boroughs, which will include cross boundary working. The new rounds have also been designed with the new depot and disposal points in mind to reduce vehicle movements and maximise the time spent collecting waste.

3 Due to the collection day changes, my rubbish won t be collected for 3 weeks, what should I do with the extra rubbish? Due to the extra time between collections, we will collect additional waste next to your bin the week commencing 12 August Additional waste will not be collected after this week. Will the collection operatives still be the same? The collection operatives will transfer to Biffa Municipal Ltd on 5 August 2013, however the new rounds and new collection methods mean that the operatives may be on different rounds. This means that they may take a couple of weeks to learn the new rounds and where bins are left for collection. Please make sure your bins are on the boundary of your property so they are visible from the road. This will help reduce missed collections. Why is the food waste collected with the recycling / rubbish? From 5 August 2013, rubbish or recycling and food waste will be collected at the same time on the same vehicle. The new collection vehicles will have two compartments, one for rubbish or recycling and the other for food. This will reduce the amount of vehicles needed to collect the waste, reducing fuel costs. Why is the garden waste collection different to the rubbish, recycling and food collection day? The garden waste collection now operates as a completely separate service which you will need to subscribe to if you wish to have their garden waste collected from their home. The majority of households will have their garden waste collected on the same day as their other bins however this will not always be the case. As the garden waste collection is an opt-in service, the subscribers are not equally spread over the borough. Therefore the garden waste rounds are designed for the differing demand for the service across the borough. If you have subscribed to the service you will receive a separate calendar showing your garden waste collection day. Why do I have to subscribe to the garden waste service? This service is optional as many residents choose to compost their garden waste at home and some do not have gardens and therefore have no need for the service. If you would like your garden waste collected from your home you will need to subscribe to the service. By operating a subscription-based service, the collection vehicles only have to visit the homes who subscribe, significantly improving the efficiency of the service and ensuring the service will meet the demand. Why was my garden bin / sack not collected? There are a couple of reasons why your bin/sack was not collected: If you have subscribed to the service, we are very sorry if we have accidentally missed your collection. We will arrange for your garden waste to be collected. You may not be subscribed to the service or your subscription may have lapsed. Only households who can not have a garden bin are able to have compostable sacks for their garden waste. If you have an old stock of sacks these should have been used by 28 June Unfortunately we will no longer be able to collect these bags. You will need to subscribe to the service and you will be advised of your next collection.

4 Why was my recycling bin not emptied? Your recycling bin may not have been emptied if it contained non-recyclable waste such as carrier bags, black sacks, polystyrene or food waste. You should have had a bin tag placed on the handle explaining why we could not collect it. If you did not have a bin tag on the handle, your bin may have not been out in time for collection or it may have been accidentally missed. Please report your problem at or phone We will be able to identify if there was a problem which prevented your bin being collected. If we accidentally missed your bin we will return to empty it if you reported the issue within 2 working days. I had bags next to my rubbish bin, why will you not collect them? We are very sorry but we are not able to take rubbish which is not contained within your bin. You should have found a sticker left on the extra bags advising you that we are unable to collect them. By using the recycling service and weekly food waste collection, you should have very little nonrecyclable waste left in your rubbish bin. By limiting the amount of rubbish we collect, we are able to encourage residents to recycle more and use the kerbside services available. If you are a large family or are struggling to fit your rubbish into your bin, please contact us on for advice on recycling. What do I do if my rubbish / recycling / food / garden waste is not collected? If you have any problems with your collection, you can report the issue to the council by visiting or phoning New technology is being used from 5 August allowing us to respond more quickly to your enquiry. Every vehicle will have a computer and will record any problems on the collection route including contaminated bins, bins not out or access problems. This will be visible to the customer service advisors immediately so they can let you know what the problem was. The crews will also be able to take photographs of any problems so we can let you know why the issue happened. Why can these extra recycling materials now be collected when they couldn t before? As part of the new contract, the recycling is being sent to a different sorting facility. This facility has new technology which can sort the recycling mechanically. The technology is able to separate different colours of glass as well as the various types of plastic. How many clothes or small electrical items can I put out for collection each week?

5 Clothes or small electrical items must fit into a standard sized carrier bag, which should be securely tied. Only one carrier bag should be presented each week as there is only limited capacity on the collection vehicle. We would also ask that any good quality clothing is donated to your local charity shop. What type of clothes do you accept? We will accept all types of clothing and shoes; however we would encourage you to donate good quality clothing to your local charity shop. Please do not put out duvets or pillows as we are unable to accept these. Can I put clothes in a black sack / charity bag? We are sorry but we will not collect clothes in a black sack as this will look like rubbish. Please donate good quality clothes to charity using charity bags. We will not collect any clothing put out for collection in charity bags. If your charity bag is not collected you should contact the charity for more information. What do you mean by small electrical items? Small electrical items should fit into a standard sized carrier bag and include items such as toasters, kettles and hairdryers. We are also able to collect mobile phones, chargers and remote controls. Unfortunately TV s and microwaves are classed as hazardous waste and these can not be collected through this service. TVs, microwaves, fridges and freezers should be disposed of at your local household waste recycling centre or through the bulky waste collection service. We are also able to collect household batteries but these should be placed in a clear carrier bag and left on top of your rubbish bin. My recycling bin contained the wrong items, what should I do now? You will need to remove any items which can not be recycled and place these in your rubbish bin. Your recycling bin will now be collected on your next scheduled collection day. Why are my black sacks only getting collected every other week? By using the improved recycling service and weekly food waste collection, there should be very little left to put in your black sacks. Therefore it is not an efficient use of resources to collect these every week. However if you have no outside space to store a food waste bin or your black sacks for a fortnight, we will continue to collect your black sacks every week. I live in a block of flats / HMO, are my collections changing? For the time being your collections will remain the same. You should already have recycling bins and you can start recycling glass bottles and jars, cartons and other plastic packaging. We will be introducing communal food waste collections from September 2013 where there is space to do so. You will receive a 5 litre kitchen caddy to separate your food waste. A communal 140 litre food waste bin will be provided for the collection of the food waste. I live in a block of flats / HMO can I start recycling glass in my recycling bin? From 5 August 2013 you can start recycling glass, food and beverage cartons and plastic grocery packaging in your recycling bins. We will be updating the stickers on the communal recycling bins and will be introducing communal food waste collections where possible from September I receive a clinical collection, will this service be changing?

6 If you have previously registered for this service, you will still be able to use it. Collections will be made on Tuesdays from 5 August. If you previously had a weekly collection, you will be sent a letter advising you of the new collection day. If you have a sharp s collection and are required to book your collection, you will be allocated the next available Tuesday. Every week there are 100 booking slots available which are allocated on a first come first serve basis. I would like to book a bulky now for a collection after 5 August. As part of the new contract a new computer system is being introduced from 5 August. Unfortunately we are not able to take advance bookings for the bulky collection service beyond 2 August Please contact us from 29 July to make any bookings from 5 August. How long will it take for a new bin to be delivered? Replacement or new bins can be ordered at or by phoning Bins will be delivered within 10 working days to be delivered and will be left outside your property. If you require a damaged bin to be removed or are requesting your bin to be exchanged for a larger one, please ensure the old bin is left accessible at the front of your property. I currently receive an assisted collection, will this continue? If you completed the Assisted Collection form sent out in April or have requested the service since April 2013, your assisted collection will continue from 5 August If you did not return the completed form to us, your assisted collection will cease from this date and you will need to contact us on to request the service. Is the Saturday freighter service continuing? The service has been suspended for Saturday 27 July and Saturday 3 August to allow for staff training in preparation for the contract change. However the service will continue from Saturday 10 August and will follow the same schedule. The service is not included as part of the core contract allowing the council to look for a more sustainable solution in the future. What is left to put in my rubbish bin / black sacks? By using your recycling bin and the weekly food waste collection there should be very little rubbish left. Clingfilm, plastic bags (including bread bags), crisp packets, toothpaste tubes, nappies and sanitary products should all be disposed of in your rubbish bin / sacks. Can I still cancel my bulky booking if I no longer need it? If you no longer require the booking please let us know before 11am the previous working day so we are able to cancel it. Refunds are offered for bookings cancelled before 11am the previous working day e.g. before 11am on Friday for the Monday booking. You can also change your booking before 11am on the previous working day. We are sorry but we are unable to accept changes or cancellations on the day of collection or after 11am on the previous working day. Where is the rubbish / recycling / food waste taken to be disposed of / recycled? Rubbish, recycling and food waste is taken to the Allington Energy from Waste and Recycling Facility. The rubbish, recycling and food is tipped into separate areas so the waste can be sent for energy recovery, the recycling can be sent to a Material Recovery Facility (MRF) where the different recyclables are separated and the food is then sent to a local composting facility. By tipping in one place we are able to improve efficiency and the different items can be dealt with correctly.

7 My bins used to be collected on the same week as I live down a narrow lane, will this continue? There are some properties in the borough that require a narrow access collection. This will continue with the new contract. However the new narrow access collection vehicle will have two compartments like the rest of the vehicles and will collect rubbish or recycling and food waste at the same time. Your wheeled bins will therefore be collected on alternate weeks like the rest of the borough. Why can I not book a bulky or clinical collection from 5 August now? From 5 August the computer system used by our contact centre is being updated. This is to allow requests to be passed from our contact centre to our new contractor. The new system will improve our customers experience of the service as we will be able to resolve queries faster with immediate access to collection information. This means that the new system will not be available until 29 July so requests for collections after 5 August should be made from 29 July and not before. What should I do with? Toothpaste tube / pump Crisp packet Matches Plant pots Remote control Bread bag Hoover bag Pillow Cigarette ash / ashtray contents Clingfilm Tea bags Coffee grinds Bottle tops (metal) Bottle tops (plastic) Light bulbs (old style) Put it in your or you could home compost used matches. Electrical item carrier bag Household Waste Recycling Centre We cannot accept pillows or duvets in the kerbside textile collection. but please make sure it is extinguished first Food waste bin or home compost bin Food waste bin Or home compost bin Recycling bin Recycling bin

8 Light bulbs (energy saving) Pet food plastic pouches Cat litter / dog waste Paint tins Tissues Nappies, sanitary and incontinence waste Old cutlery / kitchen utensils Household batteries Fuse Pet food Small rodent bedding (straw or wood shavings only) Paper / cardboard dog food sacks Crockery Household Waste Recycling Centre or some supermarkets Household Waste Recycling Centre Rubbish Bin The Household Waste Recycling Centre will recycle metal and wooden items. Battery collection clear bag on top of rubbish bin Food waste bin Garden bin if mixed with other garden waste Recycling bin Or donate good quality items to charity