In a council report, Torfaen attributes the issues to staff shortages, an ageing fleet, and a rise in the amount of waste and recycling collected at the kerbside, “primarily driven” by an increase in residents working from home.
Some vehicles in the fleet are as much as 10 years old, according to the report.
“Increased tonnages and pressures on the vehicles allied to an ageing fleet has resulted in an increase in breakdowns and vehicles being taken off the road for repair,” the report reads.
An executive member decision is to be taken on 16 December to decide whether to allocate additional resources to hire two caged tipper vehicles and staff to operate them, as well as funding to hire an extra RCV for use during the green waste collection season.
Other measures the council proposes include scrapping its ‘job and finish’ policy, which was introduced during the pandemic and allowed staff to finish work when rounds were completed to help social distancing.
Crews will now be expected to return to the depot once they finish their rounds.
“It is agreed that the removal of job and finish for all waste streams will help reduce complaints of missed assisted collections and poor container placement after collections due to the potential for crews to rush to finish work,” the report says.
The council estimates that the issues and the additional measures taken to tackle them will cost £307,180 to the end of the 2022/23 financial year.
Action taken
In an open letter to residents sent on 7 December, Cllr Mandy Owen, Torfaen’s executive member for the environment, said: “I just wish to assure you that action has been taken to resolve issues mostly created by a mix of ageing vehicles and a shortage of drivers/collectors due to Covid and challenges in recruitment.
Action has been taken to resolve issues mostly created by a mix of ageing vehicles and a shortage of drivers/collectors
– Cllr Mandy Owen
“The job market and Covid challenges are not unique to Torfaen, but we recently undertook a successful recruitment exercise, and I will be pleased to see 12 new staff join us shortly.
“In the short term we will also be utilising garden waste vehicles and tipper vehicles to bolster cardboard and food collections. Whatever the vehicle, all materials will still be recycled.”
Torfaen
Representing a population of more than 93,000, Torfaen council’s recycling and waste service undertakes more than 7,000,000 collections each year.
Currently, this sees residual waste collected fortnightly in 140l purple-lidded bins, recyclate weekly in 55l black boxes, and organic waste fortnightly in 240l bins from March to November each year.
Collections are undertaken by a team of 93 drivers and loaders in a fleet of specialist vehicles.
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