Waste services become embedded over time into known structures, contracts and systems. Taking a fresh look at the vehicles, collection arrangements, depot and contracts can yield substantial savings or avoided costs and lead to better planning for future service changes.

We know there are plenty of changes arriving over the next few months and at FRM we support Councils in reviewing their services in various ways, from modelling alternative collection systems, accompanying crew on domestic or trade waste rounds, looking at carbon or alternative fuels, compliance with legislative requirements, reviewing contracts for outsourced services and also asking the public about what they think about the service or what they consider about options for changes.

Another aspect for which there is considerable variance between Councils is Governance, and the merits or otherwise of insourcing or outsourcing services. Quite often this aspect is a factor of risk appetite, considerations of control over the service, the availability of infrastructure, local competition and anticipated costs. Setting this out on a comparable basis enables decision making on forward service delivery.

Joint working, either via contracts or in-house services, offers the potential for further savings around management, service efficiency and economy of scale – but requires technical, political and administrative alignment to avoid unexpected costs.

There are many ways to organise a collection service (we have seen around fifty different ways in the hundred or so Councils we have worked with), and in a time where changes are afoot it is a good moment to take a step back and review. If looking for any support in this area or for an informal chat, contact paul@frithrm.com or call 01746 552423