Waste a public service

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Waste a public service

• JUDITH TURNER
• Director of Waste Collection and Recycling -
  Sheffield

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Aims

• Examine public expectations and involvement in
  waste
• How the services are judged, how the public are
  communicated with, and what impact the services
  have on them, and they have on the services
• Present key points on the future direction of the
  services and the influencing factors
• Propose a number of questions for possible
  discussion within the workshop

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Waste from a public perspective

• HOW DOES THE PUBLIC JUDGE WASTE SERVICES?
• Kerbside Collections (Residual)
• Frequency of collection
• Arriving on the correct day
• Not missing collections
• Collection time of day
• Noise levels
• Friendliness and appearance of collection
  operatives (image)
• Spillage/cleaning up any mess
• Delivery of assisted collections
• Side waste removal
• Container provision
• Bank Holiday and Xmas collection arrangements
• Provision of information

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• KERBSIDE COLLECTIONS (RECYCLING)
• All the aforementioned but also
• Provision of information about what can, and
  cannot, be put in the recycling container
• Information on collection/format of information
• Feel good factor

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• HOUSEHOLD WASTE RECYCLING CENTRES AND BRING SITES
• Facilities for recycling
• Opening hours of the sites
• Service overall
• Accessibility of the sites
• Helpfulness of staff
• User friendliness of sites
• Location/number
• Frequency of emptying of Bring Sites
• Condition of the HWRC and Bring Sites, including
  housekeeping

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• CONTACT WITH THE AUTHORITY/CONTRACTOR
• Communication methods
• Ease of contact
• Knowledge of staff
• Speed with which the enquiry is dealt with
• Helpfulness of staff
• Action taken as a result of the call

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Communicating to the customer

• HOW THE CUSTOMER IS COMMUNICATED WITH AND TO
• Leaflets
• Bin stickers/notice
• Complaint follow through
• Newspaper articles
• Posters
• Media advertisement
• Education/waste awareness campaigns
• Internet/website
• Research, including customer surveys, citizen
  forums etc
• Call Centre advice
• Word of mouth

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• SERVICE IMPACTS ON THE PUBLIC (OPERATIONAL)
• Bad weather
• Resource issues (different drivers/crews)
• Vehicle breakdown
• Disposal issues
• Lack of attention to detail/information (i.e.
  returning the container to the current location)
• Attitude of employees to customer care
• Compliance implications
• Poor communication
• Early starts by crews

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• OPERATIONAL DIFFICULTIES PRESENTED BY THE PUBLIC
• Bins not presented at the correct time
• Top hatted bins
• Compressed bins
• Excessively heavy bins
• Contamination
• Bins permanently left on the highway
• Unacceptable waste not domestic
• Attitude
• Health and Safety issues / lack of understanding
• Expectations higher than specified

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Changes in the services

• HOW, AND HAVE, THE SERVICES CHANGED IN RECENT
  YEARS?
• The service(s) have changed radically in the past
  10 years.
• Public involvement in the delivery of services
  has increased
• considerably via
• Introduction of wheeled bins and presentation to
  the kerbside
• Separation of recyclable materials by the public
  for presentation to the kerbside
• We are doing your job for you issues

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Influences of change in waste management

• THE PHILOSOPHY, STRATEGY, AND DIRECTION OF WASTE
• MANAGEMENT HAS CHANGED, AND WILL CONTINUE TO DO
• AS A RESULT OF A NUMBER OF INFLUENCES
• Diversion from landfill / Landfill Tax Allowance
  Scheme
• The impact of a plethora of legislation
• Waste as a commodity / resource
• Recognition of the value of effective / efficient
  waste management
• The interest in the services from the public
• Waste hierarchy
• Increase in the number of treatment facilities
  required to support service needs

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Issues for the future

• Currently a blanket coverage service same
  level of service delivered to everyone. Will the
  future bring a movement towards more of a
  personalised service with a menu available for
  enhanced services which can be added to baseline
  service?
• Motivation and reward systems or penalty,
  rather than reward oriented systems
• Alternate week collections
• Waste minimisation
• Storage capacity for waste containers/designing
  in waste
• Addressing policy issues, application,
  contradictions and redirection
• Emerging technologies

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Issues continued

• Community based services
• Emphasis on education and building awareness
• Attitudes and behaviour to waste and cultural
  issues associated with waste
• Costs are likely to rise
• Services providing added value

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Points for discussion

• Are the services constructed and delivered
• With the public in mind?
• With the employees in mind?
• With the budget in mind?
• With waste in mind?
• With politics in mind?
• As waste strategy documents are reviewed are the
  public identified as a key stakeholder? Should
  they be?

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• Is there a conflict in the present and future
  waste management policy
• Is a holistic approach being considered in the
  future of waste management service? For example
• The pivotal role of Household Waste Recycling
  Centres and Bring Sites
• Involvement of customers as Champions and
  Ambassadors of the service
• Involvement of the community sector and social
  enterprises
• Is there a single approach or a local solution

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• Conference theme is
• Changing the face of waste
  management
• are we in terms of
  the public?