Scott Edgell, General Manager of Veolia Environmental Services UK, will attend the Panel.

Graeme Kane, Assistant Director, Public Spaces, Contracting and Commissioning, introduced the item:

·         The change to the waste collection service, that will be implemented in October 2018, is probably the biggest seen in Merton and will necessarily involve considerable effort to ensure this goes as smoothly as possible;

·         The flow chart in Appendix A (page 27) provides an overview of all of the workstreams involved in the rollout.  This demonstrates the complexity of the work with IT, logistics, communications, vehicles and depots all featured.  This chart also provides an overview of the governance arrangements;

·         Section 6 (page 23) of the officer report provides key dates and timeframes.  This is only a snapshot of the project plan which is extensive and outlines all the dependencies involved in getting the rollout right;

·         The project team continues to be in learning mode.  This includes paying due regard to the experience of the rollout in Sutton.  It was noted that whilst this also required significant changes to the existing waste service, these were different to those that will apply in Merton; food waste collections were added but wheeled bins were already in use.  The scrutiny review of the rollout in Sutton has been carefully considered in partnership with Veolia and the other members of the South London Waste Partnership (SLWP).  A response to the recommendations made is contained in Appendix B (page 29); and

·         Highlighted that this is a big service change and that as a result is it unlikely implementation will be completely without issue but that it is the job of the project team to mitigate against these as much as possible.

In response to member questions, Graeme Kane and Scott Edgell, General Manager of Veolia Environmental Services UK, clarified:

·         (Graeme Kane) Communications is a distinct workstream with a dedicated project team that includes Veolia and other members of the SWLP.  This meets fortnightly.  The fact that a new waste service will be rolled out in October is already being promoted to residents.  It has already been featured several times in MyMerton, the team has attended community forums and the new service is featured on the Merton website.  Gratitude was expressed to members for their continued role in helping promote the new service to residents.  More detail on the nature of the new service will be communicated to residents closer to rollout.  This will include a bespoke information pack;

·         (Graeme Kane) Consideration is already being given to how to work with local groups and individuals able to support the rollout.  Meetings are taking place with organisations such as Sustainable Merton;

·         (Scott Edgell) Agreed that it is important to consider use of online video for rollout of information to residents.  Noted that the communications team is already reflecting WRAP’s best practice to ensure use of graphics that will communicate the requirements of the new service and overcome any language barriers; it is key to the success of the project that residents understand the need to remove any containments.  Agreed the waste fleet itself might be used to advertise the forthcoming service change;

·         (Scott Edgell) Whilst there were issues experienced with the rollout of the new service in Sutton, performance has returned to that experienced previously.  Additionally, recycling rates in Sutton have risen from around 30% to 52%, making Sutton joint first amongst London boroughs from recycling.  Believes the rollout will be better in Merton because the significantly longer lead-in time is allowing preparation to happen. This includes putting the vehicle fleet in place and addressing issues around productivity;

·         (Scott Edgell) Work is already underway to identify those who require additional assistance with their waste collections owing to their physical or medical circumstances eg: the elderly or the frail.  Merton already has an Assisted Collection scheme in place and has provided property details to Veolia of those already listed who are now being assessed.  Property types and locations are also being considered to see which need different containers where wheeled bins aren’t suitable.  Noted that the identification of steps is key as can preclude the use of wheeled bins in some circumstances;

·         (Scott Edgell) If it is determined that a property is suitable for wheeled bin collections, this can be challenged by the resident but only on grounds of safety.  Aesthetic considerations are not a valid basis for challenging this decision;

·         (Graeme Kane) There won’t be a specific process set out for challenging decisions taken about containers.  However, all communications will feature contact details with any resident able to contact the waste team;

·         (Scott Edgell) Having learned from the rollout in Sutton, the implementation of the new service will happen at different times for communal flats and kerbside collections;

·         (Graeme Kane) ICT integration and the development of online functionality to underpin the service including the new service rollout is continuing with most elements now in place (a benefit of the longer lead-in time).   Work continues to finesse this and make it more user-friendly.  Residents were thanked for their continued use of the online system and for providing feedback;

·         (Scott Edgell) There is an eight week plan for delivery of the wheeled bins with one week of contingency.  Learning has been taken from the Sutton experience with more time provided.  They will include packs providing details of the new service.  It will be made clear to residents when they can start to use their bins.  Discussions about the disposal of existing bins that are currently in use are ongoing. 

·         (Scott Edgell) Issues with the call centre during service rollout in Sutton were caused by requests for 30,000 additional boxes which won’t be an issue in Merton.  It was also noted that discussions are already taking place with Sutton to learn from its experience of offering a call centre during service rollout;

·         (Graeme Kane) The waste team has been working closely with the Business Improvement Team around the development of the new Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system.  The objective is to be able to offer residents a range of options for reporting waste issues through the new system.  Most of the integrations have been completed with functionality around bulky waste still in development.  Work is continually ongoing to make the system as easy to use as possible;

·         (Scott Edgell) The contract between Veolia and Merton contains clear service levels that have to be maintained.  This means additional resources will be provided to sustain service levels during the new service rollout.  It has been decided to base the new rounds on existing patterns to minimise the change for residents;

·         (Graeme Kane) Given the extent of the change involved in the new service, it is important to get it right and to reflect on whether the new service provides the right waste solution for Merton.  Therefore, whether the wheeled bin is the right solution for dry recyclables is being considered.  Keeping this separate from other particulates is very important which is problematic when operatives can’t see what is inside the wheeled bin before it is tipped.  This needs to be fully considered before the new service rollout; and

·         (Scott Edgell) Whilst there is some standardisation across the boroughs participating in the SLWP around the colour of containers and the use of wheeled bins, there is also some differentiation.  This reflects how each borough is evolving its service at a different pace and how each is learning from the other.  Therefore is it right to consider a box solution for dry recycling given contaminants such as nappies are sometimes being incorrectly placed in wheeled bins used for dry recycling (which can’t be seen before tipping).  However, the impact of this solution on productivity also needs to be considered.

RESOLVED: The Panel resolved to receive a further update on the new service rollout in the new municipal year (precise timing to be agreed as part of the scrutiny topic suggestion process).