2. Collecting your waste questions results and feedback
- 88% satisfaction with landfill waste collection. This compares to 88% in 2014.
- 85% satisfaction with green box recycling collection. This compares to 84% in 2014.
- 90% satisfaction with blue caddy food collection. This compares to 88% in 2014.
Comments relating to collecting your waste:
- 150 residents said they are looking forward to the improvements to the recycling service which are due to be rolled out across the district during 2017.
- 78 residents commented particularly that the Council should consider collecting garden waste.
Our response: We did consider this when tendering our new contract but the Council decided to continue to support Otter Rotters as the preferred garden waste collection service. The Council will be supporting them with the aim of helping them grow their service so that it covers the whole of the district.
- 38 comments outlined views that landfill needs to be collected weekly.
Our response: Our recycling collection and new improved collection is weekly. Much of what is thrown away will be recycled once our new scheme is in place. The Council is working to ensure that we protect our environment as much as possible and recycling is a great way to do this. We also have an EU target to recycle 50% by 2020. Weekly rubbish bin collections don’t support us in delivering against either of these aims.
- 38 residents commented that refuse collectors leave pavements and roads messy.
Our response: In the negotiation phase of the new contract we have outlined clearly to our contractor our expectations on this and we will be monitoring it very closely. They will be expected to clear up around the collection point regardless of how the spillage has occurred.
- 32 residents commented that there should be wheelie bins for recycling waste and a further 23 commented that green boxes need to be bigger.
Our response: During the commissioning phase for negotiating the new collection service, the Council took account of feedback. Many people felt that East Devon’s beautiful countryside was not suitable for more wheelie bins and some householders told us that they didn’t have the space to store another bin. Through the trials in Exmouth (the Colony) and Feniton we discovered that a good way forward was to issue an additional recycling sack and this is what will happen when we roll out the new service in 2017. Residents can request via our Customer Services Centre to have additional recycling boxes if they have a lot of recycling.
- 12 residents commented that sometimes refuse collectors do not return containers to the right houses.
Our response: We will continue to point out the importance of this to our contractor. Residents can also play a vital role in this which is through labelling their bins and boxes. The new recycling bags are specifically designed to incorporate a panel so that people can add this information.
- 10 residents commented that the Council should collect all plastic.
Our response: This feedback is consistent with what residents have previously said in Viewpoint Surveys and so this was specifically included in the renegotiation of the recycling and waste contract. With the exception of plastic film, we will collect plastic and this includes the Tetra Pak type food cartons which are used extensively.