Meeting documents

The Committee considered a report providing an overview of the joint waste service for the period from October to December 2018. This included the budget, key targets, formal complaints and key risks. During discussion the following key points were made:-

·         The total number of properties for waste collections had increased by 371

·         The number of bulk bin properties had increased in Chiltern and Wycombe, with South Bucks figures still to be validated

·         Customer Experience Programme - Waste Officers were working closely with Customer Services to design new smart forms for the new CRM lite. Work was taking place with Biffa and Serco to integrate their systems into the platform. System will partially go live on 20 May and fully in July

·         With regard to staff resources, the Team would be reducing from 5.8 to 4. Planned deadline for this was May 2019

·         There was an underspend on salaries due to vacancies and time taken to fill them. Contract costs for Wycombe were slightly overspent

·         For South Bucks, green waste income was slightly higher than budgeted

·         With regard to recycling rates, it was difficult to compare as Chiltern and Wycombe figures were per month and South Bucks were based on a rolling programme. Joint waste contract figures for December 2018 had expectedly declined due to the winter

·         In relation to missed collections both the joint waste contract and South Bucks were below the monthly performance aspirations

·         Customer Services were now collecting statistics on the percentage of customers dealt with at first point of contact

·         Reference was made to formal complaints and compliments and it was noted that the largest number of complaints were in relation to waste left on road (18 for quarter 3)

·         For the Risk Register, Brexit had been added. Members were informed that the Environment Agency had asked for a plan to be put in place and officers were asked to share this with Joint Committee Members.

The Joint Waste Team also provided Members with a presentation highlighting some of the initiatives which had been taking place. These included:-

·         An annual calendar with inserts detailing waste collection dates was sent out to 120,000 residents

·         Information inserts were distributed detailing what to put into recycling boxes, “inside the box”

·         “Bin it for good”, and “Keep Britain Tidy” signs were put onto bins, linked to charities who received funding linked to the weight of waste collected from litter bins

·         Food waste recycling was discussed and reference was made to what type of bags should line the food caddies. Officers reported both paper and plastic bags were advised and it was agreed that this information would be sent out to all Councillors

·         Website improvements had been made to enable more user friendly information to be available for residents

·         Reference was made to the Christmas events which had taken place which promoted recycling and waste reduction.

·         There would be a plastic awareness campaign taking place on 13 March 2019 with Beaconsfield Town Council

·         Greater use of social media such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and You Tube was taking place

·         Litter picks took place which proved successful.

RESOLVED - That the report and the information be noted.