Forum Topic

Your road not clean enough? Just make the call

Currently across the whole borough 30% of our streets are not clean enough after the first clean.  That is 30% on average for the last 22 months since the contract started in April 2012.  There are also something like 4,000 missed collections a month. Every month for 22 months across the whole borough.   On Saturday I was canvassing in Willcott Road in Acton.  A lady at the top end complained about repeated missed collections.  A young man at the other end had the same complaint.  I told them both the same thing.  Obviously I would report it but it is only when the council gets a few complaints from residents that they do anything about it.  No complaint, no problem.  Last week I enjoyed this piece from Sue Bourne on the actonw3.com website.  She said:The one thing that does annoy me is that when the bin men come round our street - or actually any of the local streets - they leave it looking filthy.. like the third world. So because the bin men patently dont give a stuff about our rubbish and leave it strewn everywhere I don't think it encourages anyone else to care about keeping the streets clean .. it such a shame.Again.  If no-one reports it, nothing will happen.  If your road is not cleaned to a high standard.  If a collection is missed.  If recycling containers are thrown around.  If the binmen leave a spillage and don't clean it up.  Complain.  Call 020 8825 6000 and report it.  It is slightly painful and long winded but a supervisor really will talk to the crew and they will most likely improve.  Just make the call. 

Phil Taylor ● 4593d32 Comments

Good post Phil, I think we all need to take ownership for keeping these guys to the standards we expect.For me it's the inconsistency that I never understand. One week they'll take something, and the next week they won't take the same thing.Now, armed with the contact details you have supplied, I shall ensure I do my bit in following up.Regards, Carl

Carl Tamboli ● 4592d

Just logged a missed cardboard collection as a complaint!

Elke Franc Poole ● 4592d

Each refuse crew has a supervisor.  It is the responsibility of this person to ensure that the road is left in a clean and tidy condition.All crews should be supplied with brooms and shovels with which to clean up any spillage.Lack of Supervision is the problem - or a rush to finish early!

Dee Cook ● 4592d

Had a call back from the company saying they will investigate and organise a supervisor to join the team for next weeks collection, so at least they are looking into it but do agree now it is time to push for a better service!

Elke Franc Poole ● 4592d

Dee,You are quite right the contract says they should carry "spill kits".  That is a broom and a shovel in English.  The crews are required to clear up spills and should take the time to do so.  They should not leave a mess and we should not have to pay the street sweepers to clear up after them.  The street sweepers should be dealing with litter and detritus from trees, etc.  In March we will go back to the old system of cleaning the next day so we don't want spills hanging around for 24 hours.

Phil Taylor ● 4592d

Had a nice supervisor ring my door, I explained the situation and the cardboard was removed, the only comment I would like to make is that all boxes should be completely flat I rolled the cardboard as it was a very big box so make sure bigger items are torn to make them smaller, apparently the issue with the dirt on the street is that in some areas the street cleaner are ahead of the collection van but they are looking into it!

Elke Franc Poole ● 4592d

Thanks for this. I am sick of walking to work (I'm in Berrymead Gardens)and seeing all the mess after the collections have happened. Also we always seem to get a different green box left behind every other week! :s

Lucy Walker ● 4592d

Is that number a 24 hr number Phil?I've always emailed customers@ealing.gov.uk partly because I'll often email in the middle of the night when I've finished whatever else I have to do that day.  My collection has been fine for quite a while and I have not needed to complain.I believe that they are supposed to give you a reference number.Does the Report It section allow you to report that the whole road has not had a collection?  I think it may have been on the Chiswick site that someone complained using the online complaint system but only her own was then collected and not the rest of the street.  We don't want this to be able to happen.

Philippa Bond ● 4592d

ALWAYS get a Reference Number, which often is not offered.No Reference Number, chances are it will not be logged and therefore not influence the statistics.Now why would they do that I wonder ...............

Rosco White ● 4592d

I do sometimes wonder why Acton Central's Labour councillors don't respond to anything here.Is it because there is no plausible response to the debacle that is the rubbish rubbish contract?Or because they have given up, post Oaks?Or why?

Sara Nathan ● 4591d

Yes I had a reference number, had another superviser call this morning explaining that the section for cardboard was full that was the original reason why the cardboard was left behind! I suggested they implement stickers to put on the left behind refuse to assure collection will be made as we had several collections never be collected so who is to know that they are aware of it! Let's see if things are improving moving forward!

Elke Franc Poole ● 4591d

Our local councillors are keeping a low profit probably because they don't want to be remembered when the next Council elections take place.But of course we will remember their names won't we.  It is your choice if you decide to vote for them!I know what I am going to do.

Dee Cook ● 4591d

According to this forum's search facility, the most recent post from Dan Crawford is 23rd April 2010; he was elected on 6 May that year.

Vlod Barchuk ● 4591d

Maybe a policy decision not to post then...

Sara Nathan ● 4591d

There used to be a sticker system as the larger flattened cardboard was collected by a different lorry.  This sticker showed that they were aware of it - which meant that you did not presume they'd missed it and complain and move it and it was still there when they came back.  Very logical!I've put my house number on all bags and boxes - it helps them to find their way home with the help of neighbours if necessary - or in the case of my empty food waste bin which went flying one very windy day with the help of someone who chose not to run it down in the middle of the road.  If a container doesn't come back you may be able to share with a neighbour until the one you order online arrives.  If you have any spare you can offer them to someone who hasn't got around to getting any.  I wish landlords and agents were better at sorting this out at the start of a tenancy.  I think they should be.

Philippa Bond ● 4590d

apologies.... for profit read PROFILE

Dee Cook ● 4590d

Back from a week away so we didn't put out rubbish or recycling. But I note neither of our immediate neighbours seem to have had either of their green boxes taken.Is that true for others too?And has anyone reported it?

Sara Nathan ● 4589d

Yes. I did. In fact, since the system is now set up to prevent us talking to anyone at the council about the unreliable and sub-standard refuse and recycling service they provide, I took a great deal of time and trouble to get to talk to an actual person.The system allows you to report one lot of recycling or rubbish as not having been collected. But what do you do if every house on your street is in the same boat? Do you have to ring back 50 times - or 150 if it is cardboard, food and newspaper? Does anyone have the time or the energy to do this? I'm afraid I don't. So I got a reference number (213977 if I remember correctly) and made sure that the lady I spoke to knew that it was every house on the street. This was yesterday morning (Friday).However, a crew came yesterday and took all our recycling but no one else's. It's due to be very windy tomorrow so we will have lots of rubbish strewn everywhere and there is no one to talk to at Ealing today, of course. Phil says it's easy to report missed collections, badly swept street etc but are we supposed to do  for this when a whole street is affected? This happens about once every couple of months.

Clare Gittins ● 4588d

That is what I suspected.  The reporting system isn't good enough and where was the supervising?  I have sometimes seen a little white Enterprise van after the collection going down my street and presumed that that was it.The website used to be a lot more informative eg it explained about the larger pieces of cardboard.  The last time I looked at it a few weeks ago it seemed to be even less informative than ever.  Of course because it is a website it can say one thing one day and something else the next and we won't be given any notice of the changes and we'll suddenly find that 'the rules' have changed.

Philippa Bond ● 4588d

It's getting awfully close to the local elections, hard to fathom why all this hasn't been sorted.Loooooong ago.Nowt so queer as Politics ...........................

Rosco White ● 4588d

Just heard rubbish collection type noises outside. Disgraced myself by running down the street and remonstrating with the operatives or whatever they are called, who were in charge of lorry reg PE12 LKN. They had picked up a few containers, but only the top end of the road and there are still at least 20-30 households whose recycling has therefore not been picked up.I told them they had to finish the job but they said I should complain to the Council, not to them - it wasn't their job (what is their job, exactly? They certainly don't take any pride in their work....)I have complained to the Council. I have reported missed collections both for my house and for the whole road.What a monumental waste of time. Any neighbours who are reading this, and whose recycling hasn't been collected please bombard the Council line 020 8825 5000 if you can be bothered.Apologies to any neighbours who witnessed mad woman in wellies rushing, shouting and gesticulating.

Clare Gittins ● 4588d

Stop Press! Another lorry has just been and scooped everything up. All recycling being chucked in any old how but at least it's being taken. Glad about that, at least.

Clare Gittins ● 4588d

Clare good for you.  I observed not much customer care on the crew's behalf.I suspect that this vehicle, which collected my MISSED waste, was sent out as a result of my 'report it' message. Thus this crew were only authorised to pick up MISSED WASTE WHICH HAD BEEN REPORTED TO THE COUNCIL>  apologies for capitals.The vehicle which followed behind that one, was the normal refuse collection, which was delayed by one day.Not very economic - but this suggests that the Manager in charge of the Acton area did not act pro-actively - thus costing the Council and the environment both money and pollution.

Dee Cook ● 4588d

Well done Clare - and what a vision you conjure up! Both my neighbours recycling went today.

Sara Nathan ● 4588d

I reported, via streetwatchers, some graffiti - which might have been racist (tag Bacon on a muslim-owned shop?) or might have been just a tag.Acknowledged first thing yesterday and gone by first thing today - and maybe sooner.So well done to the graffiti team.

Sara Nathan ● 4585d

The Graffiti team have always responded with speed and efficiency.  The problem lies with residents not reporting it when then see it.So, if anyone knows of a graffiti problem I urge them to report it asap via the Ealing Council 'Report it' site - whereupon it will be dealt with most efficiently.

Dee Cook ● 4583d

Lots of things the council does it does quite well.  The graffiti contract was one of the things that were broken before 2006 and the Conservatives fixed, see here:http://philtaylor.org.uk/2006/09/massive-improvement-in-graffiti-removal-service/Things that work well in my view are the street lights, gully cleansing, fixing street defects, trees, graffiti cleaning.  There are problems even here - for instance too many things rely on the public to initiate a fix whilst the council is becoming increasingly uncontactable.  One of the big things that works badly right now is the street cleaning/rubbish collection contract.  Two years in and the council has still not got this right.  Last year the repairs contract for council houses failed badly with both suppliers pulling out.  This led to a heap of complaints.  It is early to say if the new contractor has got this sorted now.  Running the council is a bit like spinning plates.  All the plates need constant attention.  The Labour group spend too much time on politics and not enough on keeping the plates spinning.

Phil Taylor ● 4583d

If there is rubbish left on the street, you can report it online at: http://www.ealing.gov.uk/forms/200508/street_care_and_cleaningMissed collections at:http://www.ealing.gov.uk/forms/200489/recycling_rubbish_and_wasteA lot simpler than Phil's solution...

Pete Grist ● 4583d

Does it work?I do it through streetwatchers - which is very effective!

Sara Nathan ● 4583d

You can only report your own/one lot of a missed collection.  You can't report a whole street.There is no way of reporting the whole of the street except by email or phone. Don't expect them to collect the whole street when you have only reported your own as it is now so tick box.  Both in Ealing and Hounslow the collectors are known to have collected just the one reported missed collection. Perhaps someone can explain WHY they should choose to do this?  Is this just minimum effort or something to do with the contracts?

Philippa Bond ● 4582d

Yes, Re not being able to report the whole street - I pointed this out in my first post on this thread.And despite having reported the whole street last Friday morning (at 9.30 I think), they didn't come to pick it up until Saturday afternoon. Is it worth lobbying the Council to provide a 'whole street' option on their annoying automated reporting system? Or is life too short?

Clare Gittins ● 4581d

There used to be such a system - I can distictly remember reporting a missed collection on an online form that asked the question 'is it just your house or others on the street' or something along those lines, which was very useful if they'd missed the whole street. But it disappeared (probably gave them too much extra work...)

Lorna Dodd ● 4581d