1 BULKY WASTE COLLECTION SERVICE - The Deputy Chief Executive and Executive Director: Commercial submitted a report seeking approval to introduce an appointment based collection service for bulky waste items from households.
The council currently provided a kerbside bulky waste collection service to help residents dispose of bulky, large or heavy items which were unsuitable for collection as part of their normal refuse collection.
Residents could currently receive one free collection (up to three items) during a rolling 12 month period. Second and subsequent collections were charged at £21. Approximately 9000 free collections were carried out each year.
The council recognised that this ancillary service in its current form did not always meet the expectations of service users. There were several reasons for this:
• Waiting times – delays often arose as a consequence of the demands placed on the service.
• Critical service pressures - the council’s priority was first and foremost to deliver general waste and recycling collections to residents. This could impact on the council’s ability to deliver ancillary services.
• Environmental amenity - Current service times and the way in which the scheme currently operated encouraged residents to leave their unwanted items in their gardens or on the public highway awaiting collection. This was unsightly in the local neighbourhoods and the council occasionally received negative feedback from residents on this issue.
Bulky items could also be taken free of charge by householders to the council’s network of HRC sites.
The council had been working to develop and test a system where residents could choose and book specific dates for their bulky request. This would provide several available slots at specific times for the collection of bulky items.
Resolved - That the introduction of a redesigned appointment based kerbside bulky waste service, with dedicated resource and incorporating a new on-line booking facility, be approved.