Epping Forest residents have experienced some disruption to their collections in recent months which the council attributes to “contractor staff shortages and vehicle breakdowns”.
At a recent meeting with Biffa management, the council heard that many of Epping Forest’s current vehicles are getting older and “more prone to breakdowns”, while global supply chain problems have made repair and replacement “much harder”.
Available replacements are often “less suitable”, the council says, making the collections less efficient and delays longer.
As a result, the council says, crews are working longer. Crews, who collect around 1,700 bins in a single round, walk an average of 12 miles a day. Shifts start before 7am and do not finish until 5pm.
“The summer heatwaves have made matters worse,” Epping Forest said in a statement. “The crews are fatigued before they start.”
To ease the situation, Biffa has spent more than £600,000 on agency staff and £169,000 on replacement vehicle hire, the council says.
Drivers and crews will also receive “substantial pay awards”, “which should help to stabilise turnover and retain experience.”
Meanwhile, Biffa has added a new, “unbudgeted” 26-tonne refuse collection vehicle to its fleet.
‘Tough and dirty job’
Cllr Nigel Avery, cabinet portfolio holder for contracts at Epping Forest district council, apologised to residents for the disruption described refuse crews as the “unsung heroes” of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The service has performed below the high standards we expect
- Cllr Nigel Avery, Epping Forest district council
He added: “Waste collection is a tough and dirty job. I want to thank our crews for the hard work they do, keeping our district safe and clean.
“I also want to apologise to those residents affected by missed collections in recent months. The service has performed below the high standards we expect. We are facing national problems. There are no easy fixes, but we are working with Biffa every day to improve the situation.”
Epping Forest
Representing an estimated population of more than 130,000, Essex-based Epping Forest district council had a household waste recycling rate of 54% in the 2020/21 financial year.
Biffa won a 10-year deal worth £50 million to provide waste, recycling and street cleansing services for Epping Forest district council in 2014 (see letsrecycle.com story).
Currently, Biffa collects blue boxes for glass and sacks for other recycling from residents on an alternate weekly basis with black bins.
However, Cllr Avery said Biffa has suggested replacing the sacks and boxes with another wheelie bin to help ease the disruption.
“Most people are fans of wheelie bins but not everyone. Some people struggle with storage,” he said.
“But wheelie bins are faster and safer to collect. They make less mess and could represent long-term cost savings for council taxpayers compared with sacks.”
Biffa also carries out weekly collections of food and garden waste in a green-lidded bin and of mall waste electrical items, low energy light bulbs, batteries and textiles in plastic carrier bags.
Subscribe for free