Forum Topic

Still Clearing Up The Rubbish

'Still Clearing Up The Rubbish But it really IS getting better say the Council....'2011      2012    September - tonnes collected GREEN WASTE794       2242011      2012    September - tonnes collected CO-MINGLED TO MRF50        291               possibly all destined for landfill at                             approx £76 per tonne                            76 x 291 = £22,116 x 12 = £265,392 pa                            black bagsSo it looks as though all our green waste (which was collected free, but is now chargeable), is ending up in our black bags and ultimately landfill and will be costing the Council approx. £265,392 per annum instead of 50 x £76 x 12 = £45,600 per annum to dispose of.   That is assuming that when they try and sort the co-mingled stuff (what's in our black bags) at the MRF (Materials Reclaimation Facility) the majority cannot be recycled and has to go to landfill.Agree anyone?

Dee Cook ● 5054d8 Comments

I have not paid the £40 to get the green waste removed, I have a car and I take it straight to the dump. No real hassle to be honest,it's on my way to the shops.I appreciate that a lot of people haven't got a car or the time but I don't mind making the effort as it is a small one. I would rather the council cuts on these services than on teacher assistants in schools or support for the least able amongst us.I think the council has shot themselves in the foot by charging to remove green waste as it is increasing the amount of black bags going to landfill and the cost of doing so.

Kim Rugg ● 5054d

Waste collection may well be improving - from a very low start point. It is still way short of acceptable and the figures quoted speak for themselves.But street cleansing is appalling. Did no-one inform Enterprise that leaves fall from trees in autumn? It requires properly equipped (with brushes, duh!)street sweeping teams, several times a week, to keep streets clear. A bit like the team in the picture, except working, instead of standing about grinning like village idiots. And don't get me started on Enterprise's dinky street cleansing machines that waft up and down the middle of the road cleaning precisely zip.

Peter Millman ● 5054d

ps Brouncker Road still knee-deep in leaves. Not swept at all since Tuesday's waste collection or for the last 2 weeks. Are you listening, Mr Mahfouz and Mr McKenzie?

Peter Millman ● 5054d

Dee,I have studied all of this in great detail so I can tell you that you are interpreting the information wrongly.  Yes, the council is collecting much less garden waste at kerbside - less than half over the first six months.  Much of the missing material is going to the two refuse/amenity sites in the borough in Acton and Greenford.  A lot is building up in people's gardens.  It is pretty easy to spot walking around that there are more garden waste fly-tips and that people are trying to sneak garden waste into black bags.  As people get fed up with the waste in their gardens it will be interesting to see where it goes.  The stuff that goes to the MRF is largely re-cycled.  The drawback is that the value of the recyclates is much reduced  because the processes they use leave too many contaminants in the waste streams, eg there is plastic in the paper and paper in the glass.  The MRF is a good solution for the flats re-cycling which is mixed re-cycling in the clear plastic bags you may have seen.  There are three key points to take away from the report that will be discussed tomorrow at the Overview and Scrutiny Committee:Missed collectionsThere have been 5,000 missed collections a month on average for 6 months.  A total of 31,201 missed collections in first six months of the contract compared to 6,422 the previous year.  Missed collections have been running at five times the rate of the previous year for six months.  Re-cyclingFor four months pretty much all of the borough’s dry recycling (86%) was mixed up and sent to Kent.  This has disillusioned many of our recycling residents.  Street cleaningOn average, for four months, one third of the borough’s streets were unacceptably dirty.  There are still more than twice as many dirty streets as last year.

Phil Taylor ● 5054d

PhilYou seem to be all over the detail on Enterprise.Can the current administration terminate their contract if they don't meet performance targets? When are the next review points?Could an incoming Tory-led Council terminate the contract on taking control?

Peter Millman ● 5054d

Phil, could you let us know how much per month Landfill Tax Ealing Council were charged for 2011 and 2012 up to last month?  And what price per tonne they are being charged.  The figures should be easily obtainable.That will enable a comparison to be made between the old contractor's performance and the new contractor's performance.It should have course gone down and not up. 

Dee Cook ● 5053d

Utterly amazing that our new contractor is under performing not just compared to the last contractor but will be allowed to do so for the next 15 years if not stopped.  Complacency.  And not just the contractor.

Angela White ● 5053d

Angela, presumably that is why the good Councillors are meeting with the contractors to discuss a way out of this mess.I suspect that the cheapest contract may have been chosen in order to save money.... but, you get what you pay for .... unless the punters complain of course then back to the drawing board. Which will mean that the Council will have to pay the contractor more money to produce the same results as the previous contractor.Suggestion - scrap the Oaks development and build a park on the site/put up a few expensive houses, and use the saved cash on a new improved refuse/street cleansing contract.

Dee Cook ● 5053d