The restructure, which aims to provide a “better, faster” service to Croydon’s residents, will see the council and its contractors join forces to cover collections in eight smaller, ‘local’ patches.
Waste collection and street cleaning staff working for the council and Veolia have previously operated in independent teams over the course of Croydon’s 15-year contract with the waste firm, which started in 2003.
Under the new system, eight newly formed local teams will be appointed an operations manager to oversee general waste collection, recycling, street cleaning, and fly-tipping enforcement officers.
However, the move will see staff work together solely in an operational capacity – and will not involve the transfer of staff from the council to Veolia or in the opposite direction.
While the number of weekly refuse or recycling collections are expected to continue unaffected, the council has warned that some collection days may change. Each team will have one or more waste vehicles on patrol in each area at all times.
The council hopes that its restructure will mean faster responses to issues called in via the council’s contact centre and better-planned routes due to more information on how much waste each street produces.
Coordination
The system could also bring ‘improved coordination’, such as timing waste collections with street cleaning, while teams will be expected to help with local clear-ups under the council’s ‘Don’t Mess With Croydon – Take Pride’ anti-flytipping campaign.
Councillor Stuart Collins, the council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for Clean and Green Croydon, claimed the restructure would bring about a more efficient service for residents.
He said: “Our officers already take huge pride in keeping our borough clean, so giving them a local patch means an even better service for our residents.
“We already know which areas of Croydon recycle more or produce more general waste, but our local teams will also spot and respond faster to overflowing bins, missed collections or dumped rubbish.”
In 2013, both the council and Veolia came under fire from trade union Unite over pay conditions for refuse collectors in Bromley and Croydon. A planned strike was averted after a last minute settlement (see letsrecycle.com story).
And last year, refuse and recycling staff in Croydon were also recognised for their hard work at the letsrecycle.com Awards for Excellence.
A three-member strong crew picked up the Collection Crew of the Year for their efforts to keep collections going when the borough was hit by flooding in early 2014.
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