Agenda item

To receive a report (copy enclosed) by the Head of Highways and Environmental Services which details the problems encountered during the introduction of new recycling arrangements in the south of the county and the measures taken to address these problems.

The HHES delivered a report (circulated prior to the meeting) which gave details of the problems encountered in introducing new ‘X2’ recycling arrangements for the south of the county in November 2012, and the measures that were taken to address these problems. Some of the key decisions made prior to the implementation were acknowledged as having contributed to the problems incurred by residents, such as the decision to implement the new system in November rather than waiting until Spring 2013.

Delays in the delivery of essential equipment and problems resulting from the use of a computerised route optimisation system and operating in rural areas had been significantly underestimated and had resulted in confusion and delay for residents. The problems caused a back-log of complaints coming through Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system. A recovery programme was implemented to urgently address the problems from the implementation and additional resources were deployed to rectify the situation. Despite the problems, the decisions to implement the recycling system in one session and to use a computer software system for optimising routes were considered to have been correct.

A thorough debate followed on the adequacy of the arrangements for the introduction of the X2 recycling scheme. The Council’s response to the problems which had arisen were praised by the Committee, particularly with regard to the Customer Services Centre, but several concerns were raised in respect of:

·                     Poor communication with residents

·                     Inaccurate collection calendars being distributed in some areas

·                     Reputational damage to the Council

·                     Unfamiliarity of delivery and collection staff with the local area

The HHES and the Waste Management and Recycling Manager (WMRM) provided responses to a number of lines of enquiry and confirmed the following:

·                     The cost of the mistakes would be charged to the contractors where appropriate.

·                     Reputational damage was a valid concern, but although the recycling arrangements were an important and visible service, the costs of the roll-out was said to only account for a very small percentage of the service’s overall budget.

·                     The market for computer mapping technology was competitive, and other options existed, but the problems resulted from the route being developed very close to the X2 implementation, and so little time was available to identify problems.

·                     Errors made in the distribution of calendars were attributed to mistakes in interpreting the coding system by distribution staff. Another collection calendar distribution was possible but would incur a cost, and the problem of miscollections was considered to be under control. Councillors would be contacted to identify areas with miscollection issues to be targeted. Work was also being undertaken to make collection schedules available through the DCC website.

·                     The aspiration was to have the full recycling service in place for the whole of the county, but the difficulties operating the large collection vehicles in rural areas made variations to the level of service across the county necessary.

·                     The equipment/materials were sourced from foreign suppliers following a tendering process which took into account quality and price.

The Corporate Director: Customers (CD:C) stated that it was to be expected that any large project would encounter implementation difficulties, but expressed disappointment that so many issues had arisen. The response of officers to the circumstances was praised, with officers acknowledging the mistakes and working very hard to recover the situation. The CD:C identified that the problems encountered in implementing the recycling scheme could provide an important lesson on project delivery for all departments within the Council.

Councillor David Smith, the Lead Member for Public Realm, informed the Committee that he had issued an apology for the implementation problems through the local press, and emphasised that at the time it was more important to recover the situation than to apportion blame. It was noted that the implementation of the X2 scheme had resulted in an increase of 34% in food waste recycling already, with Denbighshire now having the highest recycling rate in Wales.

The Chair commented that the problems in implementing the X2 arrangements had to be recognised, and commended the officers and Lead Member for their work in acknowledging and addressing the situation.  The importance of good communication with local residents and service partners was emphasised, and the role of the Service’s leadership in ensuring that the improvements are implemented was stated. The Chair summarised that although some people were dissatisfied with the X2 scheme’s implementation, the majority of people had not encountered any problems and the increased rate of recycling was very encouraging. The Chair thanked the officers for attending the meeting and said that their honesty in discussing the implementation problems was appreciated.

RESOLVED – that the Committee:

i)             Agrees that the lessons learned are used to underpin any future service changes that might be planned across the Council;

ii)            Agrees that the outcomes from the roll-out are publicised through a press release and County Voice as soon as definitive figures on the improved recycling rates are available;

iii)           Supports the proposal that the publication of outcome figures in the next edition of County Voice should be accompanied by an apology for the problems that were encountered during the roll-out, and an explanation of what went wrong;

iv)           Recommends that all councillors are contacted, once a costing exercise has been undertaken, to establish whether another distribution exercise of collection calendars is required in any part of their council wards;

v)            Requests that figures detailing the overall costs and benefits to the Council of recycling in comparison to the previous waste disposal regime are provided to the Committee for information, along with details of monies etc. withheld from the contactors engaged to deliver this latest roll-out; and

vi)           Requests that, as part of the Service Challenge process, the Service explores the viability of operating alternate week food collections across the County with a view to realising the optimum level of recycling provision possible along with associated benefits and costs of providing this service, and that a summary report on future service provision be submitted to the Scrutiny Chairs and Vice-Chairs Group initially for consideration.