North Birmingham wheelie bins – launch update
Kevin Mitchell, Assistant Director of Fleet and Waste Management, blogs on the introduction of wheelie bins to north Birmingham, collections of which started last week – and explains why you may see collections taking place this weekend…
“We have completed the ninth day of collections of wheelie bins from Perry Barr Depot (covering homes in Erdington, Perry Barr and Sutton Coldfield districts) and the majority of crews are reporting that their rounds are complete. However, there are some collections that remain outstanding.
“In general terms, the first week of the new collections was satisfactory, with far fewer issues being experienced than in the previous wheelie bin roll-out covering the east of Birmingham. Issues that did arise were generally due to:
• Residents getting used to the new collection arrangements, what goes where in the recycling bin, where do I put my bin, presentation points, etc.
• Additional recycling side waste as some residents who had changes of week have had three weeks between consecutive recycling collections.
• Crews getting used to new working practices, new rounds and round maps and changes in days and recycling weeks
“These are all things that are part of the expected stabilisation process.
“In this second week, however, we have experienced issues with some of the vehicle fleet and four of the collection vehicles have been taken out of action because of accident damage or breakdown. We have raised this as a priority through the appropriate channels.
“Unfortunately, this has resulted in missed collections in Sutton New Hall, Erdington and Tyburn Wards. Replacement vehicles have been obtained and we currently have crews clearing this work. We will work over the weekend as required to ensure that all scheduled collections are completed.
“My absolute expectation is that the situation should stabilise very soon and you will hopefully see the benefit of wheelie bin services
“I apologise for the inconvenience caused but please bear with us.”
