As we move into the second phase of the new waste service, I want to thank everyone for the way you are responding to the introduction of our new waste and recycling service.
A change in service provision of this magnitude will inevitably have its problems and, when we do get it wrong, please accept my apologies and be assured that we will get past these issues and our normal reliable service will be back with you.
We are already seeing clear signs that the new service is making a difference.
Food waste recycling in particular has been a real success.
More households are taking part than we originally expected, and tonnages are higher than our forecasts.
This tells me that, even with the challenges, residents are committed to recycling more.
While most collections are happening as they should, for the households where issues persist, I know this feels acute.
Some households are still experiencing missed or delayed collections, and I understand how frustrating that is.
For those residents, it can be hard to see the progress being made in other areas.
I do not underestimate that impact, and I want to be honest that some of these cases are complicated and take time to resolve properly.
But we are working through them all and taking steps to strengthen the service further.
We are building resilience in the workforce, and I’m pleased to say that 12 new loaders joined us this week.
Recruitment is also ongoing for more customer service staff and two extra waste advisers.
This will increase the support we can give both on the ground and in responding quickly to residents’ enquiries.
I will be spending further time with our customer services team next week to listen first-hand to the types of calls and complaints they are handling.
Areas using wheelie bins are already reporting visibly cleaner streets, which shows the long-term benefits of the system once it has settled in.
We are learning from trials and are running small pilots in parts of the Forest, testing different approaches to collections so we can adapt future phases.
And we will, this week, be sending letters to households in pannage perambulation areas to advise on changing where their food waste caddy is placed for collection.
We are also making sure supplies of sacks are available and have additional staff out this week.
Households in the Phase 3 area will get double the number of sacks left at their properties than they usually receive per delivery.
Meanwhile, preparations for the next stage are underway.
Phase 2 households have begun receiving their bins, with collections due to start in October.
Every household will receive clear information so that they know what to expect and when.
This is one of the biggest operational changes the council has ever taken on.
It affects tens of thousands of households, requires retraining our staff, new and additional vehicles, and involves everything from route redesigns to IT systems, depot moves, and the delivery of bins on a huge scale.
Complex projects like this are rarely perfect from day one, but I am encouraged by the progress so far, and I am determined that we keep improving week by week.
It is natural that the spotlight is firmly on this service at the moment, and that means every delay or difficulty is very visible.
What can be harder to see is that waste and recycling services everywhere, including ours before these changes began, have always faced challenges from time to time.
Missed bins, vehicle breakdowns and staffing pressures are not new problems, they are part of the reality of running a complex, daily service on this scale.
The difference now is that, because we are introducing such a significant change, those issues are more noticeable.
What matters is that we are tackling them systematically and building a service that will be more reliable in the long run.
Thank you again for your patience and for the effort you are putting into recycling.
Together, we are building a system that will serve our communities well for many years to come.
Cllr Geoffrey Blunden
New Forest District Council cabinet member
Portfolio holder for the environment and sustainability
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