Forum Topic

Refuse and Recyling 9-13 April & missed collections

Refuse and Recycling Collections Next Week:Usual collection day     Revised collection day Monday 9 April           Tuesday 10 April Tuesday 10 April         Wednesday 11 April Wednesday 11 April       Thursday 12 April Thursday 12 April        Friday 13 AprilFriday 13 April          Saturday 14 April Refuse and recycling should be left at the front of the property, not on the pavement, by 7am on the collection day.Missed collections:The council is apologising to anyone whose recycling or refuse collection has been missed this week. The number of problems in the first week of the new refuse and recycling contract is unacceptable and our priority is to work with our new contractor, Enterprise, to get the service back to normal as quickly as possible. Extra crews have been working longer hours including Good Friday and Saturday to clear up any missed collections.  Crews will also be out on Easter Monday if required.

Ealing Council ● 5275d73 Comments

Well let us hope that the service gets back to normal as quickly as possible!

Jean F Fernandez ● 5275d

I wonder what the new "normal" will be

Sara Nathan ● 5275d

Please define normal!Haphazard?When they feel like it?Well it's nice to see the council groveling.  Are they trying to distract us from other misdemeanors?

Nicola Howard ● 5275d

And when are we suppose to get delivery of our whelled bin paid for !!!!  Where are we suppose to put garden waste in between ?

Philippe Bruyer ● 5274d

I understand we should use pink bags until the others turn up.

Bob Crossley ● 5274d

Then this would surely mean that everyone could still use the pink nags because the new contractors would have no idea who has decided to join this new madcap scheme!How would they be able to tell the difference?

Jean F Fernandez ● 5274d

I want my Monney back then !

Philippe Bruyer ● 5274d

Oops, sorry I meant to type: BAGS not nags - pink horses??? Hmmm

Jean F Fernandez ● 5274d

Of course the bags/bins could be delivered by Nags and Cart!

Nicola Howard ● 5274d

I've noticed quite a few filled pink bags in gardens so they won't be collected if that is the advice the council has given

Miriam Kerketta ● 5274d

Well let's put the pink bags out and see what happens. It's possible last week wasn't a collection week.

Bob Crossley ● 5274d

My pink bags were picked up not last Thursday but the one before - so I would expect them this coming friday - as everything is a day late this week.But I don'thave the new bags either so no idea if anything will be picked up ( not that there will be anything unless I can persuade son to mow lawn)

Sara Nathan ● 5274d

I did get some new plain green garden sacks without a cover, I did write to the council to ask if these are tempoary as without a cover all the leaves could blow back out, especially in the autumn but they haven't bothered to reply. I'm due a garden collection next Friday, I wonder if half the contents will have fallen back out in to my front garden or on the pavement but the time I get home from work! The pink sacks were so much better and logical! The new sacks do not say 'Ealing' or anything on them, what's stopping people who haven't paid £40 from buying some plain sacks themselves and leaving it outside? All really daft so far. If it ain't broke.....

Miriam Kerketta ● 5274d

Had a look at the Hounslow site. They have green garden bags without lids and the same food buckets so probably the same supplier.

Bob Crossley ● 5274d

if you haven't paid for the new garden collection service and you leave your pink bags out they will take them so you can't use them again.

Sarah Gates ● 5274d

Well Sarah, All I can say is 'Who on earth thought this one up?' If the pink sacks are removed by the new contractors then how on earth will the residents who haven't joined the new scheme supposed to take their garden rubbish to the Council tip???I know what will happen, garden rubbish will just be put into black plastic bags along with other household rubbish.The more I read about the new scheme the more I despair!

Jean F Fernandez ● 5273d

But if I have paid how will they know to give me my pink sack back?

Bob Crossley ● 5273d

As I said Bob, it would appear that the whole scheme has not been thought out properly.So far it has not had a good start, let us just hope that things get better!

Jean F Fernandez ● 5273d

The sceme working must be predicated on the contractor getting identifiable bags/wheelie bins out to paying customers and then picking up those put out.But you could see a quick trade in the bags at least - why not pinch one left out round the corner - post- collection - and then put your own rubbish in it next time?

Sara Nathan ● 5273d

Anyone seen a road sweeper today they are supposed to be out finishing off.

Bob Crossley ● 5273d

Anyone seen a road sweeper today they are supposed to be out finishing off.

Bob Crossley ● 5273d

No sign of one around here Bob!

Jean F Fernandez ● 5273d

can someone post a picture of the 'new' green waste recycling bags?  Many thanks.

Dee Cook ● 5272d

Haven't got mine yet but look on the Hounslow website. I bet they are the same.

Bob Crossley ● 5272d

Response from Ealing regarding delivery of  wheeled bin or bags  Non-delivery of containersWe are asking Enterprise to provide an up to date schedule of wherethey are in terms of container delivery. As soon as we have this we willcirculate. In the mean time, any residents enquiring about their newcontainer, please can inform the following:- due to the number of requests there is a delay with delivery of newcontainers- residents can continue to use their old pink reusable sacks untilthey receive their new container- residents will be delivered a collection calendar and guide to theservice with the new container, in the mean time they can check theircollection day online at www.ealing.gov.uk/gardenwaste Remind me what did I pay for ??????????/

Philippe Bruyer ● 5271d

You would think - given that we are being made to pay extra for the service - that they would get their act together to ensure it worked from the off.Bet there are no rebates when they cock it up.Did the Council merely go for Enterprise because they were cheap - with no regard at all to the level of service? Can't think of another reason on the showing so far.

Sara Nathan ● 5271d

My food waste was not collected AGAIN yesterday.  I now have a recycling container full of mouldy food that this inept new contractor has failed to collect for 2 consecutive weeks.  Ealing coucil is a disgrace for selecting a contractor who cannot deliver the service which we pay for.

Andy Oram ● 5270d

Alhtough the Contractor responsible for collecting our rubbish has changed - the people working on the contract have not.  Ie, we have the same refuse collectors and street sweepers, although their managers and schedules may have changed in order to save money.The problems in such cases are ususally caused by lack of communication between those actually doing the job and those who are managing it!

Dee Cook ● 5270d

Also Dee they are doing the same job with 150 less staff

Bob Crossley ● 5270d

Bob:  It would be interesting to know where the Union representing the workforce stands in all this.  They would have had extensive discussions with the new Contractor (and indeed all those who tendered).  Does anyone out there know their view on all this?    D.

Dee Cook ● 5270d

I might be wrong but I thought Enterprise didn't recognise any unions.

Bob Crossley ● 5270d

Does anyone out there know what percentage of our Council tax is represented by Refuse and Recycling collections?

Clare Gittins ● 5270d

A number of people have asked about Ealing Council and the operations from the new contractor - in that they are taking residents' carefully sorted recyclables and they are dumping all together in the van.When I asked this is meant to happen as the recyclables will be sorted out by a machine when the vehicles are emptied. I am informed that non-recyclables mixed in would be taken out via the machine.Any other related issues please let me know via:gary.malcolm@ealing.gov.ukThanks,Cllr Gary Malcolm

Gary Malcolm ● 5270d

Gary, Wouldn't it be quicker and easier then for residents and the contractor just to use this machine to sort the recycling in the first place.

Bob Crossley ● 5270d

Having lived, for varying amounts of time in the London Boroughs of Kensington and Chelsea, Hammersmith and Fulham, Wandsworth and Ealing, I can honestly say I have never seen such a bad refuse/recycling service as the one we have had visited upon us in the last few weeks.What was so wrong with the old service? It worked rather well I thought. I'm also not impressed with our local Councillors in Acton Central who appear to have become a group of apologists for this obviously corner-cutting cowboy outfit.

Andy Heeps ● 5270d

Our recycling had gone before 0900 - not the garden waste though - and not I think the rubbish (can't see from this window!)

Sara Nathan ● 5269d

Black bags and recycling gone. 9.45 road being picked. Garden waste and food bucket still waiting to go.

Bob Crossley ● 5269d

Well our street was swept this morning around 9.45 by 2 men using a broom.Green boxes, food container, plastic sack still sitting there. The same goes for the black bags.I am not sure about the garden rubbish as I cannot see any green bags left out.Why would they sweep the street BEFORE the rubbish has been cololected? It seems rather like putting the cart before the horse!

Jean F Fernandez ● 5269d

They are supposed to clean the street AFTER the collections but on the same day. Thats the agreement. Complain

Bob Crossley ● 5269d

How long do I wait before complaining that my black bag hasn't been collected? I know we have to report it by midday if we want it picked up this evening...Sara - has your garden waste been collected yet? I've decided not to register for the garden waste services. Instead, I will deliver my own to the tip. If I have space in my car, I will post on the forum beforehand to see if any neighbours want their pink bags emptied at the same time. Does anyone think that 50p would be a fair price for this service? I will keep any takings in a jar and donate to charity after a year. I would prefer to do that than pay £40 to the Council.

Clare Gittins ● 5269d

I have already done so Bob.Black bags collected a few minutes ago!

Jean F Fernandez ● 5269d

Not sure the old reporting system will be working now, during the current muddle Claire.Im giving it until 5pm before reporting missed food bucket and garden waste in the hopes they will pick it up tomorrow. An overtime day for them as they are not scheduled to work on Saturdays.

Bob Crossley ● 5269d

If this is the case then I think we are beginning to undersand why we have missed collections - a little bit of overtime on top!!!

Jean F Fernandez ● 5269d

1245 Food bucket gone

Bob Crossley ● 5269d

Neither ordinary rubbish nor garden waste collected and this end of the street is full of black bags.

Sara Nathan ● 5269d

Rubbish collected - very oppressed crew say 110 men have been cut in the new contract, that they are being grossly overworked by a "horrible company" and that the garden waste collectors will just take the existing bags so you can't put out any more and anyhow there are only 2 garden waste collecting vans in Ealing now - down from 16. But the council are saving a couple of million a year so that's OK then.Have no idea how much of that is true!

Sara Nathan ● 5269d

I understand 150 went. at and average of £20,000 thats £3million the council say they have saved.

Bob Crossley ● 5269d

Rubbish and food waste gone, don't know about garden waste.

Nicola Howard ● 5269d

1.20 Garden waste gone and pink bag RETURNED

Bob Crossley ● 5269d

Exactly so!!

Sara Nathan ● 5269d

Food buckets collected at 12.45Plastics, paper, cardboard, bottles and plastics all collected just after 1pm but thrown into the same truck!

Jean F Fernandez ● 5269d

Huge improvement on last week. Hope it continues to get better.

Bob Crossley ● 5269d

Last week I saw 2 street cleaners in St Dunstan's Avenue, cleaning BEFORE the refuse and recycling had been collected.  This was 8.55am.  I've reported it to Ealing Council and asked for a reply from the appropriate department, not just a job number but no-one's replied to me as yet.  Not that I expect them to.We had this problem years previously when the Council had the contractor collect and clean/litterpick on the same day.  It just didn't work, unfortunately.Anyone else had this problem?

Angela White ● 5251d

yes  newton rd,  brouncker,  meon  rd. no sweeprs at  all or  picking

Jon Kennedy ● 5251d

Angela, the same thing happened in Faraday Road, Allison Road, Brougham Road and Birkbeck Avenue. The streets were swept BEFORE ribbush was collected.When I reported this to the council I got a reply agreeing that this was wrong and that they would be monitoring the situation!I then wrote back asking whether our streets will be swept or litter picked once weekly (or twice weekly because this happened with the previous contractors). I have not had a reply to this email! So that's a NO then I guess! There is really not muh point in sweeping before collection because anything that is dropped is then left in the street until next time. You couldn't make it up!We get lots of empty beer cans dropped in these streets probably because the local shops have a licence to sell alcohol from early morning 'till late at night!

Jean F Fernandez ● 5251d

Why do we assume that refuse collectors are going to make a mess, which needs street sweepers to clean it up for them.In other Boroughs refuse collectors carry with them a broom and shovel with which to clean up their own mess!If refuse collectors had to sweep up their own mess they would not make it in the first place!

Dee Cook ● 5251d

Our street is littered today, clearly the clean yesterday wasn't a success.  I never saw the cleaners so either they arrived to do their job before the collections or didn't arrive at all.Called Rovin Williamson at LBE (responsible for the contract adherence).  We can't have this.  It can't be rocket science.  Maybe they need a good event/floor manager.  Anyone know one?!

Angela White ● 5248d

I reported today that Brougham Road, Allison Road, Faraday Road and Birkbeck Avenue were not swept. This should have been done yesterday.

Jean F Fernandez ● 5248d

what dept at lbe no cleaning  at  all this week

Jon Kennedy ● 5248d

Its just appalling. Why can't they be consistent? It was almost right a week ago and now they have degenerated and are turning our streets into slums.

Bob Crossley ● 5248d

Cumberland Park has also been looking rather messy in the past two weeks. I will report also should the situation not improve!

Sarah Allan ● 5247d

Our street was not swept last week but they came and swept it today - the only thing is our rubbish will be collected tomorrow!!!What on earth is going on?

Jean F Fernandez ● 5242d

Have you contacted Robin Williamson, Jean?  It's simply not on.

Angela White ● 5241d

who  is  he

Jon Kennedy ● 5241d

Robin Williamson is responsible for the contract management for refuse and recycling at LBE.  He's one of the senior managers.

Angela White ● 5241d

ah  thank  u well  he is going  to  get  a  few  emails  from  around  here

Jon Kennedy ● 5241d

I'm sure he'll thank me!

Angela White ● 5241d

Yesterday I saw a street cleaner cleaning our street BEFORE the refuse and recycling had been taken.  I stopped and said surely that was supposed to happen after the collections and he said "we all come out at the same time, it's how gets here first" or words to that effect.  He's right, probably!  This is madness.  I've emailed Robin Williamson again but it doesn't change. I would urge you to keep checking your streets and report any litter or refuse left behind as this probably means your cleaner arrived before the collection.  I see this as my money being wasted and someone somewhere is just talking the talk and not delivering the goods.

Angela White ● 5220d

Bit like squeezing a deflated balloon. Get the air out of one bit and it pops up somewhere else. This side of Horn Lane went perfectly this week.Surely it can't be beyond the whit of the street cleaners to phone there base and say they recycling hasn't happened in there area. I spoke to a cleaner who did exactly that. It was however on the day the bins were collected a day late because of the Bank Holiday. The mad thing was that their office had no idea the bins were being collected a day late!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bob Crossley ● 5220d

Angela,This is very disappointing.  I understand that that the rounds won't be finalised until they have got all of the permanent vehicles they need in place, and phased out the temporary vehicles.  This will take until the end of June.  At that point they will be able to sort out the street sweeping so that it follows the collections more accurately.  I suspect that all the wrinkles won't be ironed out until well into July.  The council is not being very frank about this.  The PR message is that everything has returned to normal which is certainly not the case.  I will keep tracking the street cleaning stats which should show how quickly things are improving on the ground.  In April 1/3rd of streets inspected were not clean enough and these inspections happened towards the end of the month once the initial crisis was over - the inspectors were helping to direct the new staff to missed collections for the first week or so.

Phil Taylor ● 5220d

Goldsmith Avenue yesterday the street sweeper came and dabbed at bits of the pavement.  He did his little bit of work between the recycling collection and the black sack collection.  The material we had left out in our green box for  recycling was left by the collectors for the black sack collection who just threw it in with all the rest of the refuse.We need the pavement swept not just the odd bit here and there  and after all the collections - why is this too difficult to do?

Jill Williams ● 5220d

Yesterday one of the Enterprise employees, litter pick in his hand, was just in front of me as I was walking along Churchfield Road towards Market Place. As I walked behind him I noticed that he just left all the bits of paper and assorted rubbish lying on the pavement - he ignored this completely.Intrigued at this I watched as he turned into Market Place and straight into Ladbrooks Bookmakers!I guess he had to get his priorities right!If this man was on a break then why would be still be carrying the litter pick?

Jean F Fernandez ● 5199d

Any reason why they might think that it was contaminated or not what is on our green box list (when I last looked that is)?

Philippa Bond ● 5198d