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Meeting:
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Economy, Place, Access, and Transport Scrutiny Committee
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Meeting
date:
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29
April 2025
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Report
of:
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James
Gilchrist, Director of Environment, Transport and Planning
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Portfolio
of:
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Executive Member for the Environment and Climate Emergency (Cllr J
Kent)
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Review of Bags to Bins
project
Summary
1.
Waste Services are aiming to standardise and improve the collection
of household waste within mainly terraced areas by transitioning
streets from bag collections to wheeled bin collections.
2.
Scrutiny Members have asked for a report on the progress of the
bags to bins project. This report provides a background of the
project, as well as an update on the progress of the project,
challenges faced, and upcoming plans for implementation and
reviews.
Project
Background
3.
The Bags to Bins project seeks to improve household waste
collections for residents in mainly terraced areas of the city and
reduce the potential for injury to waste collection
operatives.
4.
Wherever operationally possible, the City of York Council prefers
refuse collection via wheeled bins because:
·
It provides householders with a container within which they can
safely and effectively store all their waste.
·
Waste remains contained between collections, reducing the risk of
bags being torn apart by pests.
·
Limits the amount of waste presented to an appropriate amount.
·
It improves safety by reducing manual handling for waste crews.
·
Wheeled bins help to decrease refuse round completion times.
5.
Properties are usually
deemed unsuitable for a wheeled bin where they lack storage space
off the public highway or an appropriate presentation
point.
6.
The project was agreed in principle at the Cabinet Decision Session
on 23 November 2015 and commenced in 2017 in the Holgate and
Westfield wards, successfully transitioning 27 streets and 1,016
properties to wheeled bins. However, progress stalled due to
competing priorities within the service.
7.
Previously, the refuse
wagons used, were much larger vehicles which meant we were unable
to get to the end of tight or narrow streets. This meant that some
streets that did have appropriate bin storage off the highway, were
still deemed as unsuitable as the wagon could not reach them and it
is not practicable to ask the crew to wheel a bin back and forth to
the wagon covering long distances up and down an inaccessible
street.
8.
The Council has now
procured narrow, rear steer refuse vehicles which means they can
now access streets that were previously inaccessible, making some
streets now viable.
9.
If a property can
accommodate a wheeled bin for household waste, then it is likely to
also be suitable for garden waste collections.
Residents now eligible for
a refuse bin will be asked to express their interest in also
receiving a garden waste service in the future. An
‘expression of interest’ survey can be found within the
garden waste section of the bags to bins webpage. Details of this
survey and the bags to bins webpage will be included in the letters
residents receive.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CYC-GardenWasteInterest
10.
The provision of a wheeled
bin for refuse would mean these properties could be looked at for
inclusion when reoptimizing the garden waste service. Extending the
garden waste service is part of the council plan.
Decision to recommence Bags to Bins project
11.
The project was approved to
recommence at a meeting of the Executive on Thursday, 25 January
2024 following the introduction of the garden waste subscription
scheme.
12.
The Executive approved the
following recommendations; please find updates provided:
13. Since
recommencement of the project in January 2024, Environmental
Services Officers and Operational Supervisors have reassessed all
streets within scope to offer the service to as many properties as
possible.
14. Properties
deemed suitable for a wheeled bin require:
·
appropriate storage space off the public highway
·
sufficient space at designated presentation point (whether this is
at the front edge of property or at a central collection point)
·
sufficient vehicle access for the refuse wagons.
Development of the Bags to Bins project
15. Following
approval in January 2024, an internal Project Team was established
to implement the Bags to Bins project. The team included senior
members of the Environmental Services Team, Environmental Services
Officers, and Operational Supervisors, with additional input from
Web Services, Communications, Public Realm (PR), Neighbourhood
Enforcement Officers (NEOs), and the Access Team.
16. Existing
records and data were scrutinised, and operational assessments were
conducted between July 2024 and December 2024. Further review of
areas and access requirements were completed by Environmental
Services Officers from January to March 2025. These additional
assessments focused on difficult areas requiring further evaluation
where site visits were required. This work also helped to identify
streets not previously in scope.
17. The
capital investment required for purchase and distribution of
containers is now approximately £122K. This cost is based on
the total number of properties identified during the initial
assessment, as well as additional properties identified in
subsequent evaluations. The investment covers:
·
One standard grey 180-litre wheeled bin for residual waste per
property.
·
Optional wheeled bin upgrades for those with larger families which
may be requested before the rollout. An appropriately sized bin
will be allocated at no extra cost using in-house resources.
·
Any replacement bins requested by residents after the rollout will
be subject to the council’s Charging for Bins Policy.
18. Due to
competing priorities among other internal CYC departments there
have been delays in procurement and ordering the required bins.
Progress has commenced for Phase 1 and bins have since been
ordered.
19. Bins will
be purchased, stored and distributed under the CYC procurement
framework, by two suppliers in three phases, minimising the impact
on existing operations and resources. By directly purchasing bins
with an existing supplier, rather than a third party, there is a
cost saving of c. £9k.
20. Through
further assessments we have added additional streets and properties
that have now been deemed suitable for wheeled bins. This will
increase the key outcomes outlined in the policy decision section.
These additions are within the capital budget of £163K and
greater economies of scale have been achieved through larger
delivery batches.
21. A previous
Community Impact Assessment was included in the report submitted to
the Executive. An update on Equality Impact Assessment is currently
being completed in consultation with Access Team.
22. Monitoring
and reviews of areas with newly supplied bins will take place
between the project team, NEOs and Public Realm. Particularly if
there are instances of fly-tipping or abandoned bins. Letters and
enforcement will be implemented if required. Updates will be
provided to ward councillors.
23. Six wards
have been divided into two phases to stagger implementation and
allow adequate time for monitoring after each transition. Each
phase will involve the distribution of at least 2,000 bins, which
has formed the division of wards. Additionally, a third phase has
been introduced to address streets requiring a more complex
approach, as well as any additional streets identified by us and
Councillors in the affected wards.
·
Phase 1 Micklegate and Heworth.
·
Phase 2 Clifton, Guildhall, Fishergate, and Holgate.
·
Phase 3 Additional streets identified.
24. Attention
will be given to student areas, particularly in the Clifton area
following recent initiatives to target problematic areas,
especially during clear-out periods. Information of streets being
transitioned will be sent to the landlord association to
disseminate to landlords in an effort to ensure correct storage and
presentation are maintained as well as containers being collected
and labelled if a student property is currently untenanted.
Implementation of the Project in Hull Road ward
25. At the
request of Hull Road Councillors, the Bags to Bins project was
implemented in two streets within the Hull Road area - primarily
consisting of student accommodations - as a one-off initiative at
the end of 2024. The roll-out was conducted using in-house
resources:
·
Siward Street transitioned to the new collection system on
25 October 2024, with the first wheeled bin collection taking place
on 28 October.
·
Lamel Street transitioned following reports of bin bags
being improperly presented in back alleys, on 17 December 2024,
with its first collection on 23 December.
26. Crews were
instructed to collect waste only from the newly established Central
Collection Points (CCPs). This ensured that proper presentation and
monitoring could be maintained moving forward.
27. Site
visits were conducted at key milestones: after the first wheeled
bin collection, after the first three collections, and after three
months. A further assessment will be carried out six months after
the transition.
28. Reports
from these visits were submitted to the project team and ward
councillors.
29.
Neighbourhood Enforcement Officers (NEOs) visited the area on three
occasions in response to reports of fly-tipping and abandoned bins
in back lanes and at the newly created CCPs. Landlords and
residents were contacted regarding fly-tipping issues, and Public
Realm removed abandoned bins.
30. Siward
Street and Lamel Street were met with positive responses from local
ward councillors. We did receive councillor engagement regarding
the monitoring of presentation and storage issues following reports
of fly-tipping and access issues - we responded with an update of
the site visits conducted, and NEO enforcement taken.
Councillors’
contribution
31. Ward
members have been informed in advance of rollout in their wards via
briefings, which included an annex of the affected streets, an
original timetable for the rollout, and any other information of
relevance to the project and their ward. Councillors were also
offered a ward walkabout for any areas deemed problematic or
complex.
32. Project
briefings were sent on 13 February 2025 to the following
Councillors:
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Ward
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Info
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Hull Rd
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Cllr. M. Pavlovic, Cllr. J. Moroney, Cllr. A.
Baxter
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Micklegate
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Cllr. J. Burton, Cllr.
J. Crawshaw, Cllr. P. Kilbane
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Heworth
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Cllr. C. Douglas, Cllr. B. Burton, Cllr. Bob
Webb
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Clifton
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Cllr. D. Myers, Cllr. M. Wells
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Guildhall
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Cllr. T. Clarke, Cllr. R. Melly, Cllr. D.
Merrett
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Fishergate
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Cllr. C. Whitcroft, Cllr. S. Wilson
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Holgate
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Cllr. J. Kent, Cllr. L. Steels-Walshaw, Cllr.
K. Taylor
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Table 1: List of recipients of
briefings.
33. After
providing a briefing overview to Councillors, Environmental
Services Officers received a small number of specific requests
regarding problematic streets, along with a suggestion for a public
consultation. Since the project was approved without requiring a
public consultation, the team advised that Councillors could update
constituents during local ward meetings and surgeries.
34. Virtual
ward walkabouts have been proposed by Councillors of Guildhall,
Heworth and Micklegate Wards as this method of addressing
problematic streets and other issues was deemed sufficient. Members
of the Environmental Services Senior Team were in attendance.
35. Please see
the detailed outcome of the virtual ward walkabout in the table 2
below:
36.
Environmental Services Officer will provide revised annexes of
streets to ward members, along with any other relevant information
following final assessments and virtual ward walkabouts. Ward
walkabouts have been successful in providing thorough assessments
of complex streets and allaying any concerns councillors have
had.
Communications with Residents
37.
All affected residents will
receive written notification in advance of the project
implementation date and again before bin delivery, more information
explaining details such as presentation points and available
support.
38.
Both letters will include a
QR code and web link to the bags to bins webpage where more project
information is provided along with a weblink for residents to
express their interest in receiving the garden waste
service: www.york.gov.uk/bagstobins
39.
Letters also include an
email address for residents to contact the project team directly to
make them aware if they currently have a City of York Council
issued bin: bagstobins@york.gov.uk
40.
The envelopes will be
clearly marked with ‘important information about your waste
collections’.
41.
Households currently
registered for an assisted collection will continue to receive this
service using their wheeled bin from previously agreed location.
Any new requests for an assisted collection will be reviewed by the
waste team, and reasonable adjustments may be made for residents
who, due to personal circumstances, cannot wheel a bin. In such
cases, the property may be permitted to remain on black sack
collection if operationally viable.
42.
Larger households, which
meet the qualifying criteria, will be able to upgrade their wheeled
bin to a 240 litre (households of 5), or a 360 litre bin (for
households of 6 or more).
43.
A communications plan will
be delivered from implementation of the first phase. This will
include print and digital campaigns. Targeted posts on the
following digital platforms; City of York newsletters, Facebook,
‘X’ (formerly Twitter), Instagram and ‘Next
Door’. A review of social media campaigns, analysing
impressions and click throughs, will be conducted once the
campaign has concluded.
Estimated timescales
per ward
44. Due to
competing priorities, delays with procurement, and additional
assessments, original timescales provided in Councillors briefings
have been moved forward and are now as follows.
·
Phase 1 - Micklegate & Heworth – Letters sent out to
resident’s week commencing 5th of May 2025 with
the delivery week commencing 16th of June 2025
·
Phase 2 - Clifton, Guildhall, Heworth, Fishergate and Holgate
– Letters sent out to resident’s week commencing
2nd of June 2025 with the delivery week commencing
4th August.
Conclusion
45. The bags
to bins project has been successful to date, though there have been
delays with competing internal priorities. Comprehensive
assessments have taken place, with further reassessments taking
place in complex areas such as Guildhall and Micklegate. Through
flexible approaches to mailing, purchasing of bins, storage and
distribution of bins there has been an estimated cost saving
exercise of c. £13K. Leaving an estimated c. £36K in
the capital budget to spend on additional streets in phase 3 of the
project.
Contact details
For further
information please contact the authors of this report:
Authors:
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Name(s):
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·
Head of Environmental Services – Ian Hoult
·
Business Manager for Environmental Services – Rebecca
Copley
·
Environmental Services Officer – Ewa Zielinska
·
Environmental Services Officer – Lauren Childs
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Service
Area:
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Transport, Environment and Planning
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Contact:
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Ian.hoult@york.gov.uk
rebecca.copley@york.gov.uk
ewa.zielinska@york.gov.uk
lauren.childs@york.gov.uk
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Report
approved:
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J
Gilchrist, Director Environment, Transport and Planning
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Date:
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16/04/2025
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