The Waste, Recycling, Street and Beach Cleaning and Associated Services provided by Biffa Municipal Limited commenced on 29 June 2019.  The local authorities were currently working with Biffa to mobilise the new Contract. 

The report provided commentary on the initial eight week period of the Contract and planned transition to the long-term Routine Services Programme (RSP).  The RSP was the scheduled programme of collection and cleansing activities required to deliver the specified services.  The Contract provided for a 12-week grace period during which the Performance Management Framework was suspended.  A further 8-week grace period would apply once round changes were implemented.

Biffa’s Process, Quality and Information Manager collated daily service data, which was analysed and used to inform management decisions.  It was confirmed that all reports were accurate for invoicing and performance management purposes.  Performance would be continually monitored.

The Contract required Biffa to deliver new containers to customers within a two week period.  At the start of the initial period 3,250 extra container jobs were logged.  Complications / backlogs had arisen as a result of the hand-over period with Kier namely high demand for brown bins in Wealden, recovery of brown bins from unsubscribed households in Rother, impact of both management and operational staff leave.  Additional resources would be implemented and officers were working with Biffa to manage the outstanding backlog.

An update position of each individual Partner’s local service preparations was provided as follows:

Hastings Borough Council: Overall a good standard of service had been achieved with low levels of missed collections and complaints reported.  Focus would be placed on establishing the correct collection frequency for on-street waste facilities.

Rother District Council: Minimum disruption and missed collections had been reported and officers were maintaining a good working relationship with local supervisors.  Regular meetings were held to discuss current and historic operational issues.  The new daily (Monday to Friday) waste collection service for four main streets in Bexhill town centre (Devonshire Road, Sackville Road, St Leonards Road and Western Road) introduced by Rother in July was operating successfully with positive feedback received.  A backlog of container deliveries / collections remained a concern, however it was noted that additional resources had been put in place to assist with this issue.  Bring sites required further improvement, of particular concern was overflowing, additional recyclate and fly-tip accumulation.  Monitoring of these areas would be ongoing and Partnership discussions would be held regarding the future of Bring sites.  The routine street cleansing schedule had been received.      

Wealden District Council: Initial collection performance was satisfactory however slippage was experienced in late July and August primarily due to staff issues.  Areas being addressed were assisted collections and bring sites.   Delays had been experienced regarding the delivery of brown bins for customers joining the garden waste collection service; monitoring would be ongoing.  Day-to-day progress had improved regarding street cleansing showing positive signs of sustainability.  Fly-tip clearance response times were consistently good.  Bulky and clinical waste collection issues were being addressed.

Implementation of round changes would be delayed until February 2020 and a copy of Biffa’s Long Term Service Delivery Collection Plan was appended to the report at Appendix 1.  Following analysis of the operational information since the start of the contract, Biffa had concluded that to ensure a productive service additional time would be required.  Members noted that there would be no financial implications for the Councils.  Biffa would continue to refine their plans and consult all Partners allowing a minimum of four weeks to implement changes.  Residents would receive two communication notifications prior to service change; one four weeks and the second two weeks before implementation.

Due to the delayed service changes, the 2020 collection information would not be included in the 2019 Christmas / New Year schedule.  Therefore each authority would need to make arrangements to inform residents of the Christmas / New Year schedule separately from Biffa.  It was noted that £200,000 had been set aside in the budget to cover these costs.

A new Operational Supervisor with specific capabilities had been recruited to improve street cleansing standards across Rother and Wealden, which had deteriorated during the final year of the previous contract.  All street cleansing work would be reviewed at the end of the year.  It was noted that WYG Limited had been re-appointed as the NI195 Inspector.  Tranche 1 of street cleansing surveys commenced on 1 August 2019; results would be reported at the first Joint Waste and Recycling Committee (JWRC) meeting in 2020.

Members were advised that a significant impact on service delivery in 2020 could be as a result of the provisions of the anticipated UK Environment Bill.  It was proposed that new legislation would support the principles set out in the 25 Year Environment Plan (published in January 2018) to improve waste management and resource efficiency.  The Bill was expected to include: consistency in recycling collections in England; reforming the UK packaging producer responsibility system; introduction of a Deposit Return Scheme in England, Wales and Northern Ireland; and Plastic Packaging Tax.

The JWP Risk Register was maintained as a current document by the JWP Manager and was available to Members on request. The Committee noted that no risks required immediate action or active planning.  However several BREXIT related risks were being monitored, these included fuel supply, vehicle parts, impact on workforce due to loss of EU nationals and availability of container supplies. 

In terms of administration, to date, the core invoicing, payment and cost recovery processes were working well to all parties’ satisfaction.  

RESOLVED: That the performance and progress made be noted.