Waste Collection Policy and Operational Updates
Argyll and Bute Council · 11 September 2025
Back to Environment, Development and Infrastructure Committee — 11 September 2025 and its agenda
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ARGYLL AND BUTE COUNCIL ENVIRONMENT, DEVELOPMENT AND INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE ROADS AND INFRASTRUCTURE SERVICES 11 SEPTEMBER 2025 WASTE COLLECTION POLICY AND OPERATIONAL UPDATES 1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Over recent months a number of operational and policy areas of the waste collection service have been progressing with a view to improving consistency of customer experience and efficiency of service delivery. These activities have previously been reported to this Committee under three separate projects: • Route Optimisation, • Second Domestic Bin Review, and • Assisted Bin Uplift Review. As these projects have progressed it has become increasingly clear that they are better reviewed together as this provides a clearer picture of change within the waste collection service. In particular the route optimisation project is an important enabler for both these other projects and for wider changes in the waste collection service, including some which are outlined in the Roads and Infrastructure Service Review Update Report being considered by this Committee today. The purpose of this report is to provide and update on the progress of the three projects listed above, to seek approval of revised policies in relation to the approval of second domestic waste bins and assisted bin uplifts and to seek approval to a re- naming of the route optimisation project to better reflect the anticipated outcomes from this work.
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ARGYLL AND BUTE COUNCIL ENVIRONMENT, DEVELOPMENT AND INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE ROADS AND INFRASTRUCTURE SERVICES 11 SEPTEMBER 2025 WASTE COLLECTION POLICY AND OPERATIONAL UPDATES 2.0 INTRODUCTION 2.1 Over recent months a number of operational and policy areas of the waste collection service have been progressing with a view to improving consistency of customer experience and efficiency of service delivery. These activities have previously been reported to this Committee under three separate projects: • Route Optimisation, • Second Domestic Bin Review, and • Assisted Bin Uplift Review. As these projects have progressed it has become increasingly clear that they are better reviewed together as this provides a clearer picture of change within the waste collection service. In particular the route optimisation project is an important enabler for both these other projects and for wider changes in the waste collection service, including some which are outlined in the Roads and Infrastructure Service Review Update Report being considered by this Committee today. The purpose of this report is to provide and update on the progress of the three projects listed above, to seek approval of revised policies in relation to the approval of second domestic waste bins and assisted bin uplifts, to seek endorsement that the existing policy requiring all waste and recycling bins be clearly identified with the property number / name be robustly implemented
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and to seek approval to a re-naming of the route optimisation project to better reflect the anticipated outcomes from this work. 3.0 RECOMMENDATIONS It is recommended that members of the Environment, Development and Infrastructure Committee: 3.1 Approve the revised Second Domestic Waste Bin Policy set out at 4.4. 3.2 Approve the revised Assisted Bin Uplift Policy set out at 4.10. 3.3 Endorse that officers commence the activity outlined at 4.12 – 4.14 to ensure full implementation of the agreed policy that all household waste and recycling bins are clearly marked to identify the house name / number to which they belong including endorsing that following a suitable period of pro-active communication bins will no longer be uplifted where they are not identified with the house name / number. 3.4 Agree to rename the Route Optimisation Project as the Digitally Enabled Operational Services Project and note the changes in anticipated project benefits and project timeline set out at 4.15 to 4.18. 4.0 DETAIL Second Domestic Bin Review 4.1 In December 2024 this Committee approved a proposal that the Council should consult with the public in relation to the criteria that should be in place to determine eligibility for a second domestic waste bin. 4.2 The public consultation commenced on the 3rd April 2025 and ran for a period of 6 weeks with a closing date of the 15th May 2025. In total 821 responses were received to the consultation, providing valuable feedback from communities. In addition to the public engagement officers undertook a survey of the approach taken by other Councils in Scotland receiving 13 returns on a questionnaire sent to all 32 Councils. Table 1 below sets out a summary of the responses received to the public consultation; these are illustrated in graphic format at appendix 1.
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Table 1: Question Yes No Depends Don’t Know Blank Summary of Results Some local authorities charge for a second green bin for general waste. Do you think that Argyll and Bute Council should charge for this service to offset additional costs? 106 (12.91%) 573 (69.79%) 136 (16.56%) 0 6 (0.73%) A significant majority of respondents would not support the Council charging for this service. Do you think the criteria below for providing an additional general waste bin, free of charge, are correct? Households of 5+ people 566 (68.94%) 201 (24.48%) 0 30 (3.65%) 24 (2.92%) A significant majority of respondents support the current policy of households with over 5 residents can access a second green bin free of charge. Do you think the criteria below for providing an additional general waste bin, free of charge, are correct? Households with a child / children in nappies 633 (77.10%) 137 (16.68%) 0 27 (3.28%) 24 (2.92%) A significant majority of respondents support that households with a child / children in nappies can access a second green bin free of charge. Do you think the criteria below for providing an additional general waste bin, free of charge, are correct?: Medical conditions that result in increased household waste 733 (89.28%) 59 (7.18%) 0 16 (1.94%) 13 (1.58%) A significant majority of respondents support that households with a resident with a medical condition resulting in increased waste should be able to access a second green bin free of charge. We propose asking you every two years if you still require your second green bin. Do agree with this? 588 (71.61%) 191 (23.26%) 0 31 (3.77%) 11 (1.33%) A significant majority of respondents agreed that the Council should check every 2- years if households still
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require a second green bin. 4.3 The results of the benchmarking with other Councils is illustrated in table 2 below. Table 2: Question Responses Do you collect more than one general waste wheel bin from domestic properties? 8 offer a second domestic waste bin. 5 offer increased capacity of 360L as opposed to 240L. Does your approval criteria include medical requirements? 7 requested medical certificates. Does your approval criteria include babies in nappies, if so, how many babies 1 or 2? 1 based on 1 or more. 11 based on 2 or more. How often do you review approved bins? 2 authorities review annually. 6 authorities review bi-annually. 2 authorities review every three years. 3 don’t review. Do you charge for a second domestic general waste wheel bin? None of the responding Councils charge for an additional general waste bin. 4.4 The proposed policy for the approval of a second domestic waste (green) bins is set out below: “Argyll and Bute Council aim to deliver a household waste collection service that appropriately balances the needs of households with our responsibilities to the environment. To do this the Council works with residents and communities to reduce waste and maximise recycling. While it is important that households have access to domestic waste collection that meets their needs it is also important that we work to continuously reduce the amount of residual waste and increase our rates of recycling. The Council’s Second Domestic Waste Bin Policy is intended to strike this balance. Where a household requests a second domestic waste bin the first step will be for the Council to provide information around how to recycle as much as possible, while at the same time informing the household of the eligibility criteria they must meet to be approved to receive a second domestic waste bin. This will help identify any additional actions that can be taken to increase recycling or to make better use of the bin capacity available. As part of this advice household will be offered an additional recycling bin if they consistently have more
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recyclable material than will fit in the standard recycling bin. This additional recycling bin will be supplied free of charge. For households that still require an additional domestic waste bin the following qualifying criteria will apply: • For those households with children using disposable nappies there must be 2 or more children under the age of 4 years of age for whom the household is their home address. Once the number drops below 2 then the second bin should be removed or replaced with a standard 240 litre wheeled bin. The Council will review the additional bins every 24 months. • One or more resident in the household, for whom it is their home address, has a medical condition that results in increased volumes of domestic waste as a result of clinical/medical waste. In the case of a resident with clinical or medical waste needs the Authority would require a form filled out by a medical professional. There will be no requirement for the medical professional to disclose the nature of the condition, simply to confirm that the individual has a condition that necessitates additional domestic waste disposal. The form should be filled out by a G.P., Consultant or other registered health professional. • There are 6 or more people resident in the household for whom this is their home address. A Council Environment Warden may be required to visit the customer to see if there is any further recycling that the household can carry out, this may include a waste analysis of the current non-recyclable waste bin. The Council will review the provision of additional domestic waste bin with the household every 2 years. The Council reserves the right to remove the additional non-recyclable waste bin, where the above criteria no longer applies or if the household is not fully recycling. Additional non-recyclable waste bins will be recorded in the Council’s back-office system which highlights to the crew on the in-cab system those properties with an authorised additional bin. Additional bins will only be collected from those properties identified on this system.” 4.5 Implementing the policy set out above will ensure the Council provides a consistent approach to the authorisation and provision of additional domestic waste bins in all areas. Once approved the new policy will immediately be applied to all new requests for additional domestic waste bins. 4.6 A study carried out by the Operations team, and highlighted to this Committee in June 2024 set out that at that time there were approximately 3,380 additional domestic bins across all areas, amounting to an additional 57,494 uplifts of domestic waste per annum. Unfortunately the information on the reasons for second bins having been approved only goes back to 2021 meaning that we do not hold records for all these additional bins that enable us to determine the
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reasons they were authorised and thereby compare that reason to the policy set out at 4.4. Therefore a rolling programme of contact by email or letter with the circa 3,380 households which have these bins will take place over the remainder of 2025 to ensure the bins are being provided in line with the new policy. Where a second bin is no longer required or the household does not meet the qualifying criteria set out at 4.4 the additional bin will cease to be collected, a minimum of 1-months’ notice will be provided to the household where this is the case. Assisted Bin Uplift Policy 4.7 At present the Council provides an assisted uplift service for 1,860 customers. While a defined list of questions is asked to determine eligibility for an assisted uplift the interpretation of these is open to a level of interpretation that risks causing inconsistencies in customer service. As part of work to standardise and improve our customer service offer an opportunity to clarify the eligibility criteria exists. 4.8 The existing assessment of eligibility for an assisted uplift asks the following questions: • Reason for the request? • Do you live alone? • Do you have a neighbour or relative who could help on a regular basis? • Where is bin situated? • Is it more than 30m from the kerbside? • What are the types of bins at the property? 4.9 In order to inform the adoption of a clear set of criteria the service carried out a benchmarking exercise on the assisted pull-out collection services being offered by other local authorities, fifteen of the thirty-two local authorities in Scotland responded to our questionnaire. The questions asked and summary responses were as set out in table 3 below. Table 3 Question Yes No Number Do you offer an assisted uplift 15 0 N/A Do you require a medical certificate, or supporting evidence 4 11 N/A How often do you review this service Annual - 2 2 years – 6 3 years - 6 Is there an age limit for applicants 4 11
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Do you ask the applicants if they have anybody who can assist? 12 3 Is there a maximum distance from the kerbside for uplift? 5 10 If yes how far? Varies from 10m to 100m 4.10 Based on the review of our existing assisted bin pull out service and benchmarking with other Councils it is proposed that a new assisted bin uplift policy is adopted as set out below: “Argyll and Bute Council aim to provide assistance to those customers who are physically unable to present their waste and recycling bins at kerbside for collection. The following criteria will be used to determine eligibility for this service: • The householder is not physically able to present their bin for collection at kerbside as a result of age, poor health or disability. The Council reserves the right to request documentary proof for example a medical certificate in order to ensure eligibility and will seek this where reasonable need for further evidence of eligibility is believed to exist. • The collection point for the bin within the property is within 30 metres of the kerbside. • A risk assessment, where deemed necessary, determines there are no unacceptable safety risks, for example significant slopes / uneven surfaces / high friction surfaces within the property that would impede the safe collection and return of the bin to and from kerbside by our staff. • That the household can enable unimpeded access to the bin on collection day. • That the household confirm there is no other householder, neighbour or social care assistant who could assist them in placing and retrieving the bin from kerbside. • That the household consent to being contacted every two years to enquire as to whether they continue to need the service and undertake to contact the Council at the earliest opportunity should they no longer require the service.” 4.11 Implementing the policy set out above will ensure the Council provides a consistent approach to the authorisation and provision of additional domestic waste bins in all areas. Once approved the new policy will immediately be applied to all new requests for assisted bin uplifts and a rolling programme of contact will be made with all households at the 2-year anniversary of the assisted uplift being approved to check that they still require the service as per the eligibility criteria set out in the policy. As there are currently a high number of assisted uplifts that have been in place for over 2-years it will be necessary to stage contact with residents in relation to these historic agreements due to resource availability.
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Identification of Waste and Recycling Bins 4.12 It is an existing requirement that households clearly mark their waste and recycling bins with the property name / number. This has been a requirement since 2016. It is however a requirement that has not been strictly enforced with refuse collection teams continuing to collect bins that are not clearly identified with a property name / number. 4.13 The lack of strict enforcement of this requirement over the years has been done with the best of intentions in order to provide a good quality of service to our communities. However not enforcing this requirement leads to a number of unintended consequences that make it much more difficult and potentially impossible to ensure agreed Council policy is being properly implemented. Examples of this include the correct implementation of the proposed second domestic waste bin and assisted bin uplift policies contained within this report. In order to ensure these services are delivered in line with the policies set out above it is essential that refuse collection crews can identify each waste and recycling bin to the specific property to which it belongs. In addition our efforts to improve the commercial waste collection service, which is set out within the Roads and Infrastructure Service Review Update report being considered by this committee today are in part reliant on being able to identify with certainty those bins which belong to non-domestic properties and for which a commercial waste service agreement is required. Without enforcing the existing policy of all waste and recycling bins being clearly identified to the property it is impossible to be certain that bins which belong to commercial entities are not being inadvertently collected free of charge as part of the domestic waste collection service, thereby resulting in the Council losing out on valuable income and creating lack of equity. 4.14 Should Members endorse this change in practice a communication campaign will be developed to communicate the requirement to clearly identify waste and recycling bins which provides plenty of time for households to do this prior to the operational change being implemented whereby unidentified bins will not be uplifted. It is anticipated that it would be approximately 3-months before this operational change is implemented, with the exact date being dependent upon progress of the route optimisation project as it is important that the in-cab technology is operational prior to this change being implemented. Route Optimisation Project 4.15 The intent behind the route optimisation project is to improve the efficiency of a range of cyclic maintenance tasks by replacing existing paper-based systems for planning and recording activities with a digital solution that can be modified and updated far more easily and efficiently. The work has, to date, been focused within the waste collection service. The digital solution which is being implemented is a product called Routeware. This system has the ability to optimise the journey planning of waste collection routes and it was initially
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the intention of the project that journey optimisation would be a major beneficial outcome of the work, hence the naming of the “Route Optmisation Project”. As the project has progressed it has become increasingly clear that the efficiency gains from the journey optimisation element are likely to be marginal. This results from two key factors: firstly the nature of the road network means that in many areas there are limited options for alternative routes to be planned, secondly the experience of local teams means that over the years they have already worked hard to develop routes which are the most efficient that they can be. While it was initially hoped that this could lead to tangible improvements in journey efficiency (reduced mileage and travel times) and thereby deliver financial savings experience now suggests any savings as a result of journey efficiency will be limited. 4.16 The implementation of the system is, however, still a priority as it is key digital enabler for systematic service improvements that will positively impact both customer service and financial efficiency. Through the installation of in-cab digital devices to manage waste collection activity the system is key to delivering the following service improvements: • The delivery of assisted bin uplifts: the system will identify to collection crews those properties in receipt of an assisted bin uplift and also enable refuse collection staff to record that this service has been delivered in real time during the collection round. Thereby improving the consistency of this service. This will improve customer service. • The implementation of the second domestic waste bin policy. By having those properties approved to be in receipt of a second waste bin identified in the system this information will be available to collection crews in real time helping ensure that only authorised additional bins are uplifted. This will improve both customer service and efficiency. • Improvements in the commercial waste service resulting in significant increases in income to the Council. Further detail on the changes that have and continue to be implemented in the commercial waste collection service are outlined in a separate report “Roads and Infrastructure Service Review Update” being considered by Committee today. To fully realise the benefits outlined in relation to that work it is essential that refuse collection crews have accurate live information in relation to which commercial waste bins have contracts in place for their collection. This digital system will ensure this information is recorded and available to collections crews via the in-cab device and will enable them to record exactly which bins have been collected. This supports the delivery of significant financial benefits and improvements in customer service. • Through use of the in-cab device collection crews will record in real time those bins that have been uplifted. This will improve customer service in relation to instances where customers complain that their bins have not been uplifted as an accurate real time record will be available.
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4.17 Given the greater understanding that now exists of the benefits to be derived form this work it is proposed to re-name this project as the “Digitally Enabled Operational Services Project”. 4.18 Progress of this project has been delayed due a number of factors including: limited 4G connectivity increasing the amount of manual uploading of information required, weaknesses in existing information and discrepancies in different data sets, delays in the installation of in-cab technology particularly in more remote locations. As a result of these delays a revised set of target milestones is illustrated in table 4 below: Table 4 Activity Previous Timescale Updated Estimated Timescale In-cab installations December/January 2025 Complete (to all areas other than Tiree – which is imminent) Completion of design files November/December 2024 Complete Training and familiarisation June 2023 Complete System go live in pilot area February/March 2025 Complete Revised design files based on learning from Pilot. April/May 2025 August 2025 Wider rollout From May 2025 onwards September 2025 5.0 CONCLUSION 5.1 This report proposes that Operations continue to provide second domestic bins free of charge to households where there are medical conditions that result in increased household waste. It is also recommended that the service continues to provide second domestic bins to households with 2 or more children in nappies. 5.2 It is also proposed that the service ceases to provide second domestic bins to households of 5 or less.
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6.0 IMPLICATIONS 6.1 Policy – This report seeks approval to 2 refreshed policies. 6.2 Financial – This report contains details of projects that will over time improve the financial efficiency of existing services and that are important to the maximisation of income from commercial activities. 6.3 Legal – There are no known legal implications. 6.4 HR – Projects outlines within this report will require minor changes to day-to- day activities in some roles but these are not regarded as significant. 6.5 Customer Service – A number of the projects outlined within this report aim to improve the standard and consistency of customer service. 6.6 Risk – There a number of risks to the activities outlines in this report. These include: people who are no longer eligible for a second domestic waste bin raise complaints, people who are no longer eligible for an assisted uplift raise complaints, that households that do not clearly identify their bins are unhappy at the point in time that these cease to be collected. 6.7 Climate Change – Projects outlined in this report aim to maximise recycling and minimise residual waste which is positive for the environment and climate change. Projects also aim to ensure operational driving is undertaken with the maximum efficiency thereby minimising the emission of greenhouse gases. 6.8 Fairer Scotland Duty – None Known. 6.9 Equalities - protected characteristics – The changes to the second domestic bin policy and assisted uplift policy have been designed to be fair and transparent and aim to promote equitable access to waste collection services. An Integrated Equalities Impact Assessment has been undertaken. 6.10 Consumer Duty – None known. 6.11 Island Communities – None known. 6.12 Children’s Rights and Wellbeing – refuse collection and recycling can have environmental benefits and contribute to the positive future of young people. Kirsy Flanagan Executive Director with responsibility for Roads and Infrastructure Services Policy Lead, Councillor John Armour May 2025
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For further information contact: Stephen Hall Roads and Infrastructure Service Review Lead Stephen.hall@argyll-bute.gov.uk Tom Murphy Operations Manager Tom.Murphy@argyll-bute.gov.uk
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Appendix 1 Q.1. Some local authorities charge for a second green bin for general waste. Do you think Argyll and Bute Council should charge for this service to offset the additional costs? Q.2 Would you like to comment? Recurring themes in comments made: • 22% - Council Tax should cover the 2nd bin • 17% - 2nd green bins not needed if waste uplift was more frequent • 14% - No to charging for bins needed due to medical conditions Q.3. Do you think the criteria below for providing an additional general waste bin, free of charge, are correct?
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Q.4. Would you like to comment on the criteria for additional green bins? Recurring themes: • 19% - Increase bin uplift - then no need for extra bins • 12% - Criteria is fair and reasonable • 12% - Households 5+ - comments split on whether criteria should be households of 4 or 6. Q.5 We propose asking you every two years if you still require your second green bin. Do agree with this? Q.6 Would you like to comment on us contacting you every two years? Comments are split between contacting every 2 years and annually Q.7 Is there any other information [in addition to Rubbish and Recycling] we could provide that would help you recycle more?
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Q.8 What other information about recycling would you find useful? - Make it easier to get information about what and where to recycle: o Regular social media promotion o Stickers for bins with up-to-date information o What plastics can be recycled o Make the bin calendar on the website easier for mobile phones o What can we recycle at supermarkets? - Give incentives to recycle o Tell us about the benefits of recycling – why we should o Show that it’s worth our efforts i.e show us that the council recycles what we recycle; tell us what the council does with the recycling you collect from us o Collect recycling bins more often than general waste bins, and tell us about disruptions to our bin collections o Make it possible to recycle more: glass, food, garden waste Q.9 Longer term, we propose replacing two green bins, where people have this, with one larger bin to make bin uplifts more efficient. Do you have any comments? Recurring comments: • 47% - Too Heavy – for older people / bin men. Difficult to move up and down steps and rural tracks / longer drives. Will lead to increase in assisted uplifts • 30% - Good idea • 19% - Storage an issue – difficult to fit through gates, won’t fit existing bin storage, may have to stay permanently on the streets • 7.5% - More bin uplifts rather than bigger / 2nd bins
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