December 2010

Recycling and Refuse Improvements

Councillor/Parish

Information Pack

The beginning

In January 2010 Street Scene Services began a journey to improve the recycling and refuse service. Following extensive consultations we were able to design an improved service around what our residents told us they wanted. We consulted with the citizens panel and then held focus groups with them to analyse the results further. We also contacted every resident who had contacted the service in the previous six months. This information means we can now embark upon a new era in the recycling and refuse service

The overwhelming message from the results, was that ‘no size fits all’ when it comes to what residents want. The key points were that people wanted to reduce the number of recycling containers, but that they also wanted a choice on the type of container they used. 37% were happy to keep the current arrangement, whilst 40% wanted just one wheeled bin, other respondents wanted something between the two options. The improvements we have made to the service ensure that we now offer a choice, rather than providing a ‘one size fits all’.

The Orange bags and small blue bag have gone!

» The option for houses with less space or waste is to have an additional blue box. Our new style blue boxes have a concertina lid, which means they can be stacked. Introducing a stacking system was a suggestion from the consultation. In the blue box can go glass, tins, cans, plastics and cartons.

» The option we expect the majority of residents to use, is the new style blue bag. This is equal in size to 2 orange bags, has a Velcro strip to seal the top and a heavy weight to stop it blowing around. In the blue bag can go tins, cans, plastics and cartons. Residents will need a blue box for their glass for heath and safety reasons.

» The final option is to rent a wheeled bin for £15 per financial year, into which residents can put glass, tins, cans, plastics and cartons.

Need to swap?

Delivery of containers will take place during January 2011 and will initially be allocated using a combined method of house size and number of residents.

Importantly, any resident who wishes to swap what they get delivered for an alternative option can, this will be arranged following the start of the new service. Reinforcing the message that the improvements give the household a choice.

To promote the wheeled bin option, we have delivered letters to our more rural areas, where the detached houses are – which we know from the consultation are the respondents who would prefer the wheeled bin option. Of course, this option is open to the rest of the borough. A copy of this letter is included at the back, and in the first two weeks has generated over 300 requests for wheeled bins.

How will this affect residents?

During the first two weeks of December our residents will receive their new calendar. For some there will be a day change.

This change has been necessary as we are moving from a four day working week to a five day week. We have tried to keep this disruption to a minimum and consequently have only had to change less than a quarter of the households in the borough. Attached at the back of this pack is a spreadsheet showing every day change from whole villages to individual streets. You can see that it also shows where having a day change has brought the village together onto one collection day (highlighted in blue).

Split Villages

There now remains very few split villages:Village From To Properties Notes

Atterton: Tues 1R Mon 2 Other 18 properties of Atterton on 1R Tues

  Thur 1R Mon 1 Other 18 properties of Atterton on 1R Tues

Barwell: Thur 1 Mon 1229  

    1 Thur 1341  

    1 Wed 1 (Ashby Road)

    2 Mon 1322  

Burbage: Tues 2 Mon 2096  

    2 Tues 4510  

Desford: Fri 1 Fri 549  

    2 Fri 814  

  Tues 2R Thur 10 (Merrylees Road)

Newbold Verdon: Thur + Fri 1 Thur 768  

  Thur + Fri 1 Fri 504  

Ratby: Fri 1 Mon 849  

    2 Mon 1001  

….and a small minority of “other areas” for operational reasons:

• Cadeby as a whole is a Fri, however Deeping Lane, 2 properties, are on Thur.• Dadlington as a whole is a Wed, however Fenn Lanes, 7 properties, are on Mon.• Groby as a whole is a Fri (week 1), however Slate Brook Lane, 10 properties, are on

Fri (week 2).• Markfield as a whole is a Fri, however Thornton Lane, 3 properties, are on Thur.• Sheepy Magna as a whole is a Wed, however Orton Lane and Watery Lane, 16

properties are on Thur.• Sibson as a whole is a Mon, however Wellsborough Road, 2 properties, are on Wed

and Burton Road and Gibbet Lane, 3 properties, are on Fri.• Stanton Under Bardon as a whole is a Fri, however Broad Lane, 11 properties, is a

Wed.• Thornton as a whole is a Wed, however Coley Lane, 1 property, is a Thur.

Transitional period

As with all improvements, there will be a transitional period. During this time, to ensure no resident goes longer than 14 days without a refuse collection, we have put in place some additional measures.

For most of the borough, in the lead up to the new service, their pattern will remain the same as it has done all year.

For a small minority, they will get a refuse bin collection on either 13 or 14 January, instead of their brown bin.

Who does this affect?

In general, this will affect the following villages:

Bagworth, Barlestone, Barton in the Beans, Barwell, Botcheston, Carlton, Desford, Groby, Higham on the Hill, Kirby Muxloe, Market Bosworth, Nailstone, Newbold Verdon, Newtown Unthank, Osbaston, Ratby, Wykin.

This is however, not an extensive list and residents are encouraged to check the front of their calendars.

We are also providing an additional black bin collection for approximately 900 residents during the first week of the new service. Again, this is to ensure that no resident waits longer than 14 days without a refuse collection. These residents have received an insert in their calendar explaining the additional arrangement. For rural properties receiving the insert, the wording reads ‘recycling’ instead of ‘brown bin’. A list of properties receiving this insert has been provided for you at the back of the pack.

The insert

Dear Resident

In response to your feedback we’re delighted to announce improvements to your recycling collection services from Monday 17 January 2011. To enable us to make improvements to our service, there is as always; a transitional period.

To ensure no resident waits longer than two weeks for a refuse collection, we are putting on an extra black bin collection for you. This will mean that during the first week of the new service, on the day you are due to put out your brown bin – please put out your black bin as well. This will guarantee that you will go no longer than 14 days without a refuse collection.

If you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact us on 01455 238141 or at streetscene@hinckley-bosworth.gov.uk.

May we take this opportunity to thank you for your help, support and commitment to recycling.

Street Scene Services

The Town Centre

In addition to these improvements, we are now in a position to offer our Town Centre properties the same service as the rest of the borough. They will shortly be receiving a letter explaining the recycling and refuse service (included at the back of the pack) and asking them to ‘opt in’, by way of a reply slip. We have also written to each landlord advising them of the same, so that they are aware of the arrangements for the properties they own.

The town centre properties will be added to a normal collection round and will no longer be on a separate arrangement, meaning we are providing all of our residents with the same standard and choice based service.

What else is changing?

The final Improvement has been made to the way in which we make our collections. All of the vehicles will be new and more environmentally friendly. The recycling vehicles are all ‘split-body’ vehicles. This means that in one side the paper and cardboard is placed and in the other side is the rest of the recycling (glass, tins, cans, plastics and cartons), this is then separated at a sorting facility. There are also special compartments for textiles and batteries, therefore no cross contamination will occur. This method will reduce fuel costs and our carbon footprint, as only one recycling vehicle will visit each property, rather than the current two.

We also have a spilt-body vehicle to service our designated “rural areas”. This vehicle will put the refuse in one side and the garden waste in the other side, again no cross contamination is possible and this method reduces fuel and the carbon footprint, as we only visit each rural property once for their bins and once for recycling. Importantly, for our “rural” residents, this means presenting black and brown bins on the same day.

Who is rural (in service terms)?

Our rural villages are:

Appleby MagnaAttertonBagworthBarlestoneBarton in the BeansBilstoneBotchestonCadebyCongerstoneDadlingtonFar CotonFenny DraytonGopsallKirby MuxloeKirkby MalloryLittle OrtonLittle TwycrossNailstoneNewbold Heath

Newtown UnthankNorton Juxta TwycrossOdstoneOrton on the HillPeckletonPinwallRatcliffe CuleyShackerstoneSheepy MagnaSheepy ParvaShentonSibsonStanton under BardonSutton cheneyThorntonTwycrossUptonWellsboroughWitherley

And finally

With your help, this will be the most exciting improvement to the recycling and refuse service so far. We have created a service that each individual resident can tailor to their own needs and space availability. We set out to reduce containers, provide a choice and if possible, increase recycling materials. We have less containers, we have a number of options and we have introduced carton and battery recycling, both of which were requested in the consultation. All of this will be provided at less cost.

We are confident that our residents will prefer the

Improvements to our priority service.