Waste Collection Service Update

We are working to restore normal service

We recognise that waste, recycling and food waste collections have been affected by ongoing disruption in recent weeks, and we’d like to sincerely apologise to residents who have experienced missed or delayed collections.

Please note that collections are still taking place. If your bin has not been collected on its scheduled day, please leave it out where possible, as crews may return to collect it during the following days as part of recovery work.

We understand the frustration the delays are causing and are working closely with Joint Waste Solutions (JWS, a shared service which manages the contract with Amey on behalf of Mole Valley, Elmbridge, Surrey Heath and Woking) and Amey (our waste and street cleaning contractor) to restore a reliable service as quickly as possible. While many collections have taken place a day later than scheduled, some areas of the district have experienced more significant delays.

For the latest information on affected roads and collection updates, please visit the Joint Waste Solutions service updates page.

 

What is causing the disruption?

The disruption has been caused by a combination of operational challenges affecting the waste collection service since June. There are two main contributing factors – vehicle shortages and staff shortages – which together have resulted in the disruption and delays. Not all areas have been subject to the same degree of disruption.

A number of collection vehicles have experienced mechanical failures, particularly affecting hydraulic systems. These vehicles often need to be sent to regional service centres for repairs. Similar issues have been experienced elsewhere in the country, resulting in parts shortages and longer repair times than usual. Additional vehicles have been hired wherever possible, however Amey has reached the maximum permitted number on their vehicle operating licence.

The waste service relies on several different types of vehicles, including narrow-access vehicles for rural lanes, lightweight vehicles, larger collection trucks and dedicated food waste vehicles. When these specialist vehicles become unavailable, collections are dependent on securing hire vehicles, and as these are non-standard vehicles, they are not always available quickly enough to avoid delays to scheduled collections.

It is these residents, whose properties require a specialist vehicle, that have been most badly affected.

In recent weeks two collection vehicles have been severely damaged following battery fires. One incident required attendance from Surrey Fire and Rescue Service and resulted in the vehicle being removed from service for a prolonged period. This had a particular impact on food waste collections.

Collection crews are familiar with their regular routes and know which households require ‘assisted collections’ for residents who may be elderly, disabled or otherwise unable to move their bins. When crews and vehicles need to be reassigned at short notice, collection rounds can take longer to complete while these arrangements are safely maintained.

The hot weather experienced this summer has also created operational challenges. Extended periods of high temperatures have affected working conditions for collection crews and limited the amount of additional work crews can safely undertake.

Recruitment of qualified HGV drivers also remains challenging across the sector and it is harder to recruit staff, both drivers and loaders, in Mole Valley in particular. The crews have been working additional hours including Saturdays to try and make up for staff shortages and this, together with the more challenging working conditions, have in turn led to additional unplanned absences.

As with many services, annual leave during the school holiday period can place additional pressure on staffing levels.

 

What is being done?

Amey has introduced additional measures to support service recovery, including hiring replacement vehicles and bringing in specialist subcontractors, to help deliver aspects of the services where possible. They are recruiting additional drivers and loaders across the depot area and, in the meantime, are drawing on drivers from other depots such as Woking and Elmbridge where available to support our services. An application to the Traffic Commissioner to increase the number of permitted vehicles is also being prepared, however this process is anticipated to take up to twelve weeks.

We, together with JWS and Amey’s local and senior management team, continue to meet regularly to monitor performance, oversee recovery plans and identify further improvements.

 

Please continue being kind to our crews

We would like to thank residents for their continued patience and understanding while recovery work continues. Collection crews and depot teams have been working through an exceptionally challenging period, often working longer hours and additional shifts, including Saturdays, to catch up on missed collections and minimise disruption. They’re doing their best under difficult circumstances. If you see them working in your area, a smile, a kind word, or even an offer of a glass of water can go a long way.

We would ask residents to be considerate towards our Customer Service Team too, who are working hard to provide the most up-to-date information available.

 

And a few useful links:

FAQs

Amey, our waste collection contractor, is working to recover any delayed collections as quickly as possible. If your bin has not been collected on its scheduled day, please continue to leave it out for collection. Crews are returning to affected areas as resources become available. We appreciate that residents want certainty about when services will return to normal. While we cannot currently provide a definitive date, work is ongoing to stabilise the service and improve collection reliability across the district.

Collection crews may need to return to some streets or properties later in the day, particularly where access issues, vehicle capacity or operational delays have affected collections. Please leave your bin out and we will aim to return as soon as possible.

Before reporting, please check the list of outstanding roads first which is usually published by 6pm. If your road is on the list then the crew know they need to return and should do so within two or three days; there is no need to make a report. If your road is not listed, please report a missed collection using the online form.

Where collections have been significantly delayed, reasonable amounts of additional waste may be presented alongside the relevant bin. Any additional waste should be securely bagged and presented neatly. Crews will collect it where operationally possible.

Yes. To help complete as many collections as possible, particularly during warm weather and periods of service disruption, crews may start collections earlier than usual. Residents are advised to put their bins out by 5.30am on the day of collection to ensure they are not missed.

No. Council Tax is a property-based tax that residents are legally required to pay, it is not a contract or subscription for services, and there is no right to a refund or rebate because of disruption to the household waste service.

Our small portion (we receive only 9%, while the majority is split amongst Surrey County Council, Surrey Police and parish councils) supports a wide range of local services we provide, including housing and homelessness support, parks and playgrounds, community services (for example the Fairfield Centre and Mole Valley Employment & Skills Hub), Planning, regeneration projects, children’s holiday activities and Council Tax and benefits administration.
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