BOROUGH OF POOLE
ENVIRONMENT OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE
10 NOVEMBER 2011
ENVIRONMENTAL & CONSUMER PROTECTION SERVICVES - WASTE SERVICES SEVERE WEATHER OPERATIONAL WORKING PLAN
REPORT OF THE HEAD ENVIRONMENT & CONSUMER PROTECTION SERVICES (E&CPS)
1. PURPOSE
1.1 To provide Members with Operational Working Plans for Waste Collection/Disposal and Cleansing Services, to be invoked should the Borough encounter severe weather conditions such as; that of the exceptional weather conditions experienced in 2010 and the beginning of 2011.
2. DECISION REQUIRED
2.1 That Members support the Operational Plan should it need to be invoked at anytime.
3. BACKGROUND INFORMATION
3.1 Traditionally Poole is not usually affected by long periods of severe weather. However following the heavy snowfall in both 2009/10 and the beginning of 2011 it has highlighted that a more co-orientated approach to operational services was required.
3.2 This Report and its associated operational working plans have been produced in accordance with, and in support of both the Council’s Severe Weather Response Plan and Transportation Services Winter Maintenance Service Plan.
3.3 Collection rounds for Poole have been optimised to maximise efficiency. Rounds are designed to operate in normal conditions with limited contingency for unusual events/conditions. This means crews collect from on average 15,000 properties per day with each operative emptying circa 600 bins per day walking between 12 – 14 miles. Any period of very severe weather involving heavy snow/compacted frozen snow and ice will considerably impact E&CPS’s ability to maintain services.
4. OPERATIONAL RESPONSE PLANS – Process Flows
4.1 In the event of severe weather 3 process flows have been produced to ensure Operational teams, Business continuity and resilience team, Customer services, elected members and the public are aware of E&CPS’s Waste Services Response Plans.
4.2 In severe weather conditions, E&CPS will make a decision about sending out refuse and recycling collection crews each morning. Crews will not be sent out if the conditions are considered to be hazardous to the waste operatives or members of the public. It must be remembered that although priority 1 (main routes) will have been successfully treated as per the Council’s Winter Maintenance Plan, the majority of residential side streets and public footpaths where collections teams would have to operate in will not.
4.3 Run Normal Services (Appendix 1)
When following early morning assessments a decision is taken to attempt to operate normal collection services crews will commence collection rounds with care as per normal schedules. Crews will continue to make ongoing assessments of each road/footpath as per their round sheet and are authorised not to service any road them deem unsafe to attempt.
If during the working day conditions deteriorate crews may be required to park up for a period of time or return to the Depot. Incomplete collection rounds will be recorded and Customer Services notified. Every attempt will be made to return to incomplete roads as soon as operationally possible with residents advised to leave bins out for collection.
4.4 Suspension of Services (Appendix 2)
Any decision to suspend services will not be taken without careful evaluation of planned daily collection rounds conditions, forecasted weather predictions, and consultation with Transportation Services.
Any full day suspension of services will result in properties scheduled for collection on the affected day/s being missed until their next scheduled collection date during which excess side waste will be collected.
Should collections be disrupted for a period exceeding 5 working days where possible properties with chutes or genuine capacity limitations will be prioritised for servicing as soon as operationally possible. Temporary mobile waste collection sites will be set up at locations across the Borough to supplement Poole’s Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC) facility, providing those residents wishing to dispose of waste with potentially more accessible, convenient locations.
If, Poole’s HWRC has to close for practical or health and safety reasons, then details of the closures will be posted on the Council’s web page as an alert and communicated to customer services. Notices will also be displayed at the site detailing the closure. Every attempt will be made to ensure that site re-opens as quickly as possible following such a closure.
4.5 Post event catch up operations (Appendix 3)
Following any period of severe weather catch up operational plans will be invoked. This will include the collection of all reasonable amounts of excess side waste from every property affected, and the temporary redeployment of non essential cleansing service operatives and vehicles to support waste collection crews thereby enabling the most efficient return to normal services as possible.
5. RE-DEPLOYMENT OF STAFF/EQUIPMENT/VEHICLES
5.1 Once a decision has been taken to suspend normal waste collection and cleansing services, staff will be utilised to carry out snow and ice clearance in accordance with the Council’s Winter Maintenance Service Plan.
5.2 E&CPS has a total of 16 vehicles which are suitable to safely transport a maximum of 42 members of staff of which 8 vehicles are suitable for the transportation of grit. Staff will be assigned via a daily roster agreed with, and to be overseen by, Transportation Services with non rostered staff stood down to act as stand by operatives should conditions require them.
At weekends a smaller number of roster staff will be available to provide support to Transportation Services between 06:30 & 21:30 Saturday and 06:30 & 16:15 Sunday
5.3 In conjunction with Transportation Services priority locations requiring manual snow clearance and gritting have been mapped (refer to appendix 4 for summary list) with expected clearance pathways defined. These will be distributed to crews allocated to areas throughout the Borough. All deployed crews will be issued with trial footwear snow cleats, snow squeegee’s (brush with ice scrapper), spades and grit.
5.4 Operatives will only be deployed to gritting services whilst conditions prohibit the undertaking of safe waste collection services. Crews will return to normal duties as soon as conditions enable.
6. FLEET SERVICES
6.1 The Council’s vehicle fleet workshops will provide 24hr workshop support to frontline service units to ensure essential vehicles remain operational wherever possible. Fleet Services will communicate throughout each day with Transportation Services including gritting teams, passenger transport and E&CPS Waste services to adjust and prioritise workloads to meet demand.
7. COMMUNICATION
7.1 Throughout any period of severe weather E&CPS will work closely with Customer Services & Communications and the Business continuity and resilience team to keep officers, elected members and the public informed of operational decisions as they are taken. Information will be disseminated via the following:
· Recorded service update messages via 261700 customer services contact number
· www.boroughofpoole.com – severe weather page – to include status updates, frequently asked questions (FAQ’s refer to appendix 5),
· www.facebook.co.uk
· www.twitter.co.uk
· press releases to local media (paper and radio)
· members update e-mails
8. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
8.1 In the first instance the principle will be for the Service Unit’s budgeted resources to be used for dealing with winter weather response. However, should the situation be deemed exceptional by the Gold/Silver command and exceed the resources already earmarked, consideration will be given on how best to utilise Council resources at the time. This will be done in consultation with the Chief Finance Officer.
9. LEGAL IMPLICATIONS
9.1 The Council has a statutory duty to collect household waste, although the frequency is decided by local authorities. All household waste due for collection will be removed on the householders next scheduled collection date weather conditions permitting or can be disposed of at Poole’s Household Waste Recycling Centre.
9.2 The council has an exemption from the Highways Act 1980 to allow wheeled bins and refuse to be placed on public footpaths from the evening before their scheduled collection until the waste is collected.
10. EQUALITIES IMPLICATIONS
10.1 Residents receiving the Councils assisted waste collection service will have any additional refuse/recycling removed by collection teams as normal.
11. RECOMMENDATION
11.1That Members support the developed unit Severe Weather Working Plans as
detailed.
Shaun Robson
Head of Service
Environmental & Consumer Protection Services
Contact Officer
Kate Langdown
Waste & Fleet Services Team Manager
Tel 01202 261704
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E&CPS – Waste Operations Reactive Severe Weather Operational Plan - Run Normal Waste Collection Service
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E&CPS – Waste Operations Reactive Severe Weather Operational Plan - Suspension Of Normal Waste Collection Services
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E&CPS – Waste Operations Reactive Severe Weather Operational Plan - Post Event Catch Up Process
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E&CPS – Waste Operations Gritting Support Priority Areas
(Allocated by Transportation Services)
1. Poole Hospital (Bus stops and main steps)
2. Civic Centre (around building and multi service car park)
3. Poole Train Station – Poole Town Bus Station
4. Poole Train Station – Falkland Square
5. Poole Police Station – Wimborne Road
6. Poole High Street
7. Ashley Road (Churchill Road – Albert Road)
8. Castle Hill (Central Bar – Post Office)
9. Broadway Broadstone High Street
10. Haven Road Shops
(Doctors Surgeries, day centres etc as directed by Transportation Services)
11. Ashley Cross
12. Branksome Train Station – Bournemouth Road
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Suspension of Waste Collection Services during Severe Weather
Refuse and recycling collections in Poole scheduled for insert date have been cancelled due to the continuing severe winter weather.
The decision is based upon the forecast weather conditions and the current condition of both roads and footpaths in areas due for collection today. Collections were due to take place for refuse in insert locations, and for recycling insert locations. Collections were also cancelled on insert date(s).
Many of the side roads within Poole remain too hazardous for access by the collection vehicles. As the collection vehicles weigh up to 26 tonnes they could cause considerable damage to other vehicles, property and pedestrians if they were to slide on the ice. Conditions underfoot also make it extremely difficult for our staff to safely pull bins along footpaths for collection.
The Nuffield Household Waste Recycling Centre will be open as normal and residents are able to take additional household waste and recycling to the site should they wish to do so.
We apologise to all residents affected by these disruptions. Anyone affected by a missed collection should present their bin on the next scheduled collection day from insert date where two extra bags will be accepted as part of the normal collection.
We will continue to monitor forecasts throughout the day before making a decision about insert day collections.
Teams usually employed in waste collection are as directed by Transportation Services being redeployed to support ongoing gritting of roads and footpaths across the town.
Cleansing teams will be operating throughout the dayto clear public litter bins and cleanse and grit retail areas within Poole.
For more information and advice about the winter weather conditions, please visit the boroughofpoole.com severe weather page.
Communications
Refuse and Recycling Collection Services
Frequently Asked Questions during Periods of Severe Weather
(to be used on boroughofpoole.com, e-mailed to councillors, used by Officers and CSA’s when responding to customer complaints and enquiries)
Why have some residents not received a recycling or refuse collection this week?
Due to this period of exceptional severe weather, conditions, particularly on side roads, have prevented our drivers from safely manoeuvring their 26 tonne vehicles around the Borough. These large vehicles struggle in areas where ice/compacted snow is evident, and in particular in areas where there are inclines. Conditions under foot were equally dangerous making it hazardous for our waste collection loaders to pull full bins to the vehicle. Furthermore every time our vehicles stop and start there is a risk of skidding and other road users are put at risk as they try and negotiate around our vehicles.
Whilst residents might have cleaned their pavement and wonder why we cannot collect their bin safely, unfortunately many pavements are still snow covered and a whole round requires each operative to walk 12 miles and to move and empty approximately 600 bins.
Officers have been inspecting residential roads on a daily basis to evaluate their suitability to safely attempt collections, whilst monitoring weather forecasts and liaising with Transportation Services. Regrettably to date it has been necessary to suspend services (add dates).
In severe weather conditions what do collection teams do when they are not collecting residents bins?
Operatives are redeployed to support the Council’s vital gritting, path clearance and cleansing services to ensure the Borough is as safe as possible pedestrians and other road users.
All operatives are on standby to attend work at short notice to support key services.
Why are missed collections not rectified as soon as the weather improves?
Many residents in the Borough have had their recycling or refuse collections disrupted during this period. Ideally we would like to resolve issues as quickly as possible but as we operate to collect from 15,000 households each day this is not an easy task. Generally if one day's collections are missed we will where possible aim to collect the next available day (e.g. through the crewing up of an additional vehicle or through our late shift operations), with minimal disruption. Once a second day's collection is lost, that simple solution is no longer possible and the risk of creating confusion is considerable.
The collection vehicles were out but they did not collect from my road.
Collections resume as soon as conditions allow. Crews are advised to collect only in areas where it is safe to do so and this decision is taken by the driver upon inspection of each road. Inevitably some roads will be less problematic than others.
At times it may be possible for our Commercial Waste Services to operate whilst our domestic services remain suspended. This is directly related to the location of these customers and their safe accessibility (i.e. they are located on major routes/key retail areas prioritised for gritting application).
How many collections will residents miss as a result of this period of severe weather?
Collection services were fully up to date week ending (add date) Therefore those residents missing a collection this week as a result of weather conditions (week commencing add date) will effectively miss add no refuse collections and add no recycling collection, weather conditions permitting when collection services resume after the (add details or if run up to Christmas week close down week commencing add date).