The company said that the doorstep collection scheme has proven to be a success elsewhere as it brings a substantial reduction in the number of missed collections. The residents of Wandsworth are being asked to leave their rubbish at the front of their house rather than back doors allowing for easier access for contractors.
Biffa were awarded the 37 million, seven and a half year contract in April this year. They will be responsible for 85,000 households and around 1,600 recycling banks in the area.
Biffa will be continuing the orange sack recycling scheme which has already had an impact in Wandsworth. The scheme has also been used in other Western Riverside Waste Authority boroughs.
The amount of waste collected for recycling has doubled in the area since the orange bag was launched in April 2003 and last year Wandsworth recycled 17.5% of its rubbish. Barry Walton, spokesman at Biffa said: “The old recycling scheme for Wandsworth was good, we will continue as it is and try to take it forward.”
The scheme allows householders to place paper, cardboard, tin, glass and plastic bottles in an orange sack, which is then kept separate from the rest of refuse and sorted for recycling. The company are looking into introducing a green waste recycling scheme to compliment the Orange bag scheme.
Online Technology
Biffa has invested in an entirely new fleet of 24 vehicles for the contract, all of which will be utilising the “Springboard” system. This online technology enables the company to keep track of the progress of each vehicle throughout the day and allows problems to be dealt with immediately.
Mr Walton explained: “Traditionally if there is a blocked route and a collection isn't completed we only find out if contacted by a resident, usually the next day, or when the truck gets back to the yard, by which point it is often too late to send out a replacement. With this new real time technology we can be told immediately of any problems, and send a suitable alternative.”
This is the second London contract for Biffa, who took over the Havering council refuse collection at the beginning of August 2004. It marks further movement by the company into built-up areas. Mr Walton said: “With these two London boroughs and other inner city areas like Leicester we have shown that we can operate in any environment.”
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