We sometimes get asked whether the council can provide wheelie bins rather than a sack collection. The Council have told us that there are currently no plans to introduce wheelie bins but it is an option they may have to consider.
Havering’s new collection contract with Urbaser includes the option to introduce wheelie bins during the contract duration, with the vehicles having the capability to be retrofitted with bin lifts. Officers are currently working with their counterparts in other ELWA boroughs, as well as environmental consultants, to model the cost and service implications of wheelie bins.
If wheelie bins were to be introduced then this is a substantial investment for Havering to make, estimated at around £2m for one wheelie bin per kerbside property, and increased if wheelie bins were to also be introduced for recyclable materials. The containers would need to be maintained when damage or theft occurs which would incur further costs and administration, as well as the purchase and installation of bin lifts for the collection vehicles, and reprofiling collection rounds to account for additional time taken to empty and return bins. Consideration also needs to be given to properties that cannot facilitate a wheeled bin or number of wheeled bins/containers, such as terraced properties and those with smaller front gardens.
I spent some time in an area that used wheelie bins, and I found that the time it takes to place rubbish into the vehicle took nearly 4 times as long as against the method adopted by this council. Using bins will be a costly event in two areas, the cost to set it ALL up, bins, and lorries, and secondly to carry out the task as efficiently as the current method, additional staff and lorries would be required. Also, where do residents place all these bins so that they are not permanently on show all the time?