UK Council saves £1 million in waste collection processes

Sutton Council in south-west London, UK, is about to shave £1 million from its waste collection budget with new working patterns.

Waste management costs have come under considerable strains of late, with rising costs of fuel, increased traffic congestion and austerity measures in local councils. The new changes that have been introduced by Sutton council will therefore be welcomed in the efforts to reduce costs on the streets.

The changes have come into force this week, and include modifications that were identified as part of the Smarter Services Sutton review in 2010. As part of the review, residents were consulted about potential waste collection savings, with several recommendations being put forward.

Proposed modifications included fortnightly bin collections, but this motion was overruled by the residents who said they valued weekly bin collections and free garden waste collections. The council therefore looked for alternative ideas.

By altering collection routes and shift patterns the council says it can save £500,000 without cutting collections by introducing extra charges or laying off staff. An extra £500,000 saving has been secured by implementing changes to the charges for the local authority's trade waste collections.

Posted by Joseph Hutton