nerf september 2012 garden waste collection service paul jones head of waste and fleet management

www.northumberland.gov.uk

Copyright 2009 Northumberland County Council

NERF September 2012

Garden Waste Collection Service

Paul Jones

Head of Waste and Fleet Management



Presentation Outline

• Background & context• Service review & design • Implementation• Customer care challenges• Initial performance• Key results to date• Conclusions & key issues



Background

• Local Government Review 2009• Harmonisation of service standards & charges• Significant savings targets• Improve service performance• Discretionary services – self financing• PFI Contract implementation – HWRC upgrades



Service Review

Diverse standards, charges and operations• Charges from free ‘opt out’ to £32/bin/year• Geographic coverage variable• Containers – 240 litre wheeled bins, biodegradable

sacks, re-useable sacks• Service frequency & duration – fortnightly 12 months;

fortnightly 9 months and then monthly, fortnightly 9 months then winter stop

• Collection costs £400K, income £170K therefore - net cost = £230K

• Free service – not an option!



Implementation

• Fortnightly scheme 9 months – stop over winter• Use 240 wheeled bins, gradual phasing out of biobags

and reuseable sacks• Charge of £20/bin/season – not limited per house• Maintain geographic coverage – extend if possible!• Phased implementation

– SE & North - April 2009– West - May/June 2009



Customer care challenges

– Notification to service users– Introduction of clear, cost effective and reliable

payment arrangements– Means of identifying ‘paid’ customers (bin stickers)– Robust administration – front & back office – single

central data source linked to LLPG– Arrangements for recovery and delivery of bins– Ability to check collection days – self service– Improve geographic accessibility of service– Ease of checking eligibility for service – as not

provided countywide



Initial Performance• Significant and sustained adverse media coverage• ~34% uptake in what had been a ‘free area’• Overall users dropped from 24,000 to 15,000• 60% paid by cheque in the first year (10,000) – no online facility• Delays in processing customer payments• Savings targets achieved - £270K - exceeded target by £23K• Reduction in collected green waste• Increase in HWRC inputs• No increase in residual tonnage• Marginal (0.27%) drop in overall household waste composting rate

compared to previous year 12.17% in 2008/9 to 11.9% in 2009/10



Key Results to Date

• Service uptake growing from 14,700 to 20,000 +• Coverage extended• Financially sustainable (and income continues to grow)• Modest charge increase• Transactional web & rewards• Customer satisfaction increased from initial 34% to

current 60% - (the rest don’t like paying)• And……



• Yields per bin increased from

390Kg to 506Kg• If you are paying

you make sure you get your money’s worth!



• Some migration into HWRCs



Household Waste Composting Rate

• Initial dip, followed by gradual increase in overall composting rate to current 13.5%



Total Household Waste

• Total Household waste arisings falling

• No increase in disposal of garden waste in general household bins



• Significant ‘channel shift’ from 60% cheques to 28%



Conclusions & Key Issues• Actively manage PR• Administration arrangements must be robust• Customers expect a better service when paying directly for it! • Single database linked to LLPG• Encourage self-service payment – avoid cheques. • Crews must be able to readily identify paying customers• Collection, washing & storage arrangements for bins• Expect significant drop-off in % of users if stopping free service• Expect higher ‘yield’ per bin • Impact on routes/vehicles/staffing levels• Consider other policies – side waste, bulk collections• Provide customers with choices (1.2.3 leaflet)• Expect increase uptake at HWRCs and modest temporary impact

on overall compost rate.



Thank you

Paul Jones

Head of Waste and Fleet Management

nerf september 2012 garden waste collection service paul jones head of waste and fleet management

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