Enterprise has been undertaking improvements to the service after hitting teething problems following its roll out in April 2012 which saw thousands of bins go uncollected (see letsrecycle.com story).
While the level of missed collections is improving, the council said more work needs to be done to get the number of missed collections down to 2011 levels.
A report by Earl Mckenzie, assistant director for street services at Ealing, which was presented at a meeting of the councils overview and scrutiny panel last week (November 15) noted that the roll-out of new kerbside collection vehicles as well as improvements in contractor supervision, management and administration mean Enterprise are better equipped to support a continued reduction in missed collection numbers.
The number of missed collections increased in August 2012 to 5,154 despite a gradual reduction over the previous four months. However in the report Mr Mckenzie said this was specifically a result of the full deployment of the new kerbside fleet and the necessary change and fine tuning of the collection rounds. The number of missed collections in September 2012 dropped to 2,334 missed collections in September 2011 totalled 435.
Spot checks
Further monitoring of the service is being carried out by councillors: Ealing council leader Cllr Julian Bell and Cllr Bassam Mahfouz, cabinet member for transport and environment recently carried out unannounced inspections of the collection and street cleansing efforts of Enterprise in two parts of the borough.
Commenting on the spot checks, Cllr Mahfouz said: These services have been steadily improving after major problems when Enterprise initially took over the contract, but we are determined to ensure the highest possible standards are consistently achieved for residents. The spot checks are an important test and we are committed to continue them.
A spokeswoman for Enterprise said: Enterprise continues to work closely with London Borough of Ealing and has introduced a number of improvements to the service. We are pleased that these improvements are making a difference and we look forward to continuing to work positively with the authority for the benefit of the residents of Ealing.
Impact
Looking at the recycling rate, the first six months of the contract were variable which was attributed to the change in collection service and the introduction of a chargeable green waste collection service. In the year to date Ealing recycling rate has reached 41% against a target of 42% for 2012/13.
Following the introduction of the charged-for service, the report said the quantities of green waste delivered to household waste and recycling centres (HWRCs) has substantially increased which should help to mitigate any end of year reduction in the tonnage of garden waste collected at the kerbside. As of the beginning of November, the council had earned 504,000 in income from 14,241 subscribers to the green waste service.
Picture caption: Ealing Council leader Julian Bell and cabinet member for environment and transport Bassam Mahfouz on their latest spot check
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