Effectiveness of Alternate Week Collections Linda Crichton ROTATE Manager CIWM London

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Effectiveness ofAlternate Week Collections
Linda CrichtonROTATE ManagerCIWM London
Southern Counties CentreOpen Meeting22
September 2006
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Alternate Week Collections

• Typically, the collection of residual waste on
  week 1 and recyclables and/or organics on week 2
• Some schemes operate with a weekly collection of
  recyclables with residual waste collected
  fortnightly
• Collection frequencies and materials collected do
  vary
• Around 150 local authorities have now adopted
  AWCs more about to

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Reasons for moving to AWC

• Expectation of achieving higher recycling rates
  at a lower overall cost
• Encourages recycling by restricting frequency
  capacity of residual waste collections
• Opportunity for integrated service planning and
  delivery
• Achieve operational efficiencies

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Outcomeshigher recycling?

• Step change in recycling performance canbe
  achieved
• LAs achieving over 40 recycling mostlyare
  operating AWCs
• e.g. Vale Royal, St Edmundsbury, Cherwell,
  Rushcliffe, Lichfield, Daventry
• All have organic waste collections some include
  food waste
• Schemes fully rolled out to all suitable
  households

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Outcomes...higher recycling?

• Better informed public
• - increases in participation rates of 15-20
• - participation rates as high as 90 reported
• Most schemes report less residual waste collected
  at kerbside
• - some may be diverted to HWRCs
• Less total waste collected at kerbside -
  reductions of 4-13 reported
• - but may not be the case where free garden waste
  collections are provided

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Outcomesachieve efficiencies?

• Opportunity to review round designs to improve
  collection efficiencies
• Balancing workload between collection weeks is
  critical heavier workloads tend to occur on
  refuse rounds
• Can avoid need for new vehicles by allocating
  existing RCVs to other services (e.g. garden)
• Re-negotiate employment terms and conditions to
  match service delivery needs

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Outcomeslower costs?

• Implications for costs - depends on starting
  point
• Can reduce costs on a like for like basis i.e.
  same recycling service but with reduced refuse
  collection frequency
• Costs of refuse can be expected to fall by 30-40
• Overall costs may rise if implementing enhanced
  recycling service
• investment in new infrastructure plus associated
  revenue costs

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Key design considerations

• Provision of adequate container capacity for
  recyclables
• Decide on plastics (bottles) and cardboard
• What do you do with households not suitable for
  the service ?
• Vehicle delivery/offloading requirements at
  sorting/ composting/disposal facilities
• Phased implementation or big bang

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Key policies to consider

• Standard size and number of containers to be
  issued to householders
• Overfilled bins and additional waste presented
  for collection
• Contamination of recyclables
• Bank holiday arrangements/Christmas
• Garden waste
• Opportunity to promote waste reduction/
  minimisation initiatives

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Key success factors

• Good planning
• - allow plenty of time
• - do your research
• - assign a dedicated project manager
• Strong support from elected members
• - required at all stages
• Good quality and clear communications with scheme
  users
• engage with them at the earliest opportunity
• - allocate sufficient budget
• - be prepared for increased calls
  correspondence
• - manage the media
• Engage with crews
• Be prepared to enforce collection policies

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AWC Guidance
www.wrap.org.uk/local_authorities/ rotate_at_wrap.org
.uk