Agenda item

Written report from Danielle Emery, Waste and Recycling Manager.

The Chair introduced the item and invited the Waste and Recycling Manager to provide the Panel with an update regarding waste management and fly tipping.

The Waste and Recycling Manager stated that she provided a verbal update rather than a written report because the situation with Veolia would change daily (sometimes weekly), so by the time a report was drafted the information would already be out of date.

The Waste and Recycling Manager informed the Panel that Veolia had a national HGV driver shortage and to combat this, Veolia had trained some of their loaders to become HGV drivers; however, there was still a struggle to get enough loaders and drivers which had left the Council struggling to keep up the schedule.

The Waste and Recycling Manager explained to the Panel that the work was still being completed by the end of each week as officers were working overtime and that there had only been one week in which they had not been able to complete all their rounds.

The Waste and Recycling Manager stated that when some of the problems had intensified the Council had attempted to collect some of the recycling when it built up, and they had asked the refuse crew to clear the rubbish.

The Waste and Recycling Manager explained that the bin stores on the blocks of flats had to be cleared as they could become a fire hazard and the waste management team have had to collect the recycling along with the refuse waste in order to clear the bin stores.

The Waste and Recycling Manager informed the Panel that the waste management situation was in a similar position to earlier this year and the Council were awaiting Veolia’s response on what their plans were.

The Waste and Recycling Manager stated that the Council had issued Veolia with a service improvement notice concerning serval areas in which they were failing in their contractual obligations. The Executive Mayor had asked Veolia to provide a more comprehensive response as he was unhappy with their initial response and action plan following being issued with the service improvement notice.

In response to a question from a Councillor, the Waste and Recycling Manager explained that Croydon required 47 rounds to go out daily, Veolia were providing the same number of HGV drivers as they were in other locations and there were not enough drivers to meet the demands in Croydon. The Waste and Recycling Manager informed the Panel that if Veolia were to raise the salary for their drivers, then part of the additional costs would be passed on to the Council.

In response to a question from a resident, the Waste and Recycling Manager explained to the Panel that the household waste and recycling centres were fully open and functioning however the Council has had to limit vans going to the site as there were several external people depositing waste. The Waste and Recycling Manager informed the Panel that the Council did not want to go to a booking system as they did not feel as though it would provide residents with the access that they required. The Waste and Recycling Manager stated that the Council were in the process of drafting a plan to deal fly tipping and as soon as the Executive Mayor had signed off on the plan, she would be happy to circulate the plan to the Panel.

In response to a question from a resident, the Waste and Recycling Manager stated that the current contract with Veolia was an 8-year contract which will finish in 2024.

In response to a question from a resident, the Waste and Recycling Manager explained to the Panel that Veolia had a policy of only doing ground floor collections due to health and safety concerns however operatives had not always followed their policy and had done waste collections from first floor properties. The Waste and Recycling Manager informed the Panel that when Veolia environmental managers discover this happening on site they make the necessary changes to prevent first floor collections from occurring. The Waste and Recycling Manager stated that this was an industry standard and was no different to other operating procedures in other companies. The Interim Head of Tenancy & Resident Engagement then went on to explain that the housing department had not responded swiftly enough to the challenge of the refuse collection at the site, and that once the Council had finished developing options, they would then provide a full consultation to residents.

In response to a question from a Councillor, the Waste and Recycling Manager explained to the Panel that all the Veolia staff are provided with training on the devices that they use. The Waste and Recycling Manager stated that the Council were aware that the Veolia staff were not returning the bins to where they originally were, and the Council was trying to work with Veolia to resolve this issue.

In response to a question from a Councillor, the Waste and Recycling Manager explained to the Panel that if bin collections were not made then the missed collections would need to be reported to the Council through a contact form on the Council’s website. This would enable the Council to track the vehicles to check whether the bin collections had been made. The Waste and Recycling Manager stated that the Council had asked Veolia to ensure that they are clearing the floor after the waste was collected and they were working closely with the caretaking team for them to report any issues with the collections.

In response to a question from a Councillor, the Waste and Recycling Manager informed the Panel that the current contract with Veolia was an 8 + 8 + 8 contract, with an option for an extension after 8 years rather than a break clause. The Waste and Recycling Manager explained that there was an options appraisal that had been prepared to go to Cabinet for Members to decide on the way forward.