Collection: Waste

After picking out recyclables and compostables, pretty much everything else we throw away comes under “waste”

This section discusses:

Existing Provision

What

The packaging and goods that we throw away that cannot be recycled or composted.

How

Typically placed in a bin somewhere in the house, then ends up in a black bin liner inside a wheelie bin or metal dustbin (for the traditionalists) before being tipped into a dustcart, squashed and driven to a landfill site.

Volume and Frequency

Traditionally collected weekly - though often interrupted by bank holidays.

Financial Model

Traditionally included as part of council tax but some areas moving towards “pay as you throw” schemes where charges are related to the mass of waste handled.

Providers

Local councils are responsible for refuse collection. A dedicated staff of bin men is employed directly or by a sub-contractor.

Trends

As labour and fuel costs increase, so councils attempt to save money - at the expense of hygiene and customer convenience - by moving to fortnightly collections. The rats like this though!

With Localnet

What

The nature of the waste is not changed by having localnet in an area but hopefully the volume of it is.

How

Unlike compostable waste, the amount of landfill waste can be quite high in a single day. Some items being thrown away are fairly sizeable. We cannot simply take one seventh of the size of a wheelie bin as a reasonable size to use where collections are most days. Something more like a quarter the volume of a wheelie bin is more realistic. This is the size of the bin in a pull-out kitchen cupboard.

Almost every day there will be something in this bin but it will rarely be much more than half full. Whereas a delivery van could probably collect all of the compostable waste containers from the dwellings on its route and transport them back to the LocalHub where they would be emptied, it cannot hold this many waste bins - which are about four times the size. Instead, the bin-liner must be used to remove the contents and these are placed into larger containers which are dedicated to waste collection and are loaded onto delivery vans for certain rounds only.

Volume and Frequency

A key goal of localnet is to reduce waste - whether that be compostable material or the packaging (recyclable or not) around our food and other consumables. Helping residents to shop more frequently but for less each time should reduce wasted food and any associated packaging. Encouraging the onward sale and/or donation of unwanted items should similarly reduce the volume of items thrown away - many of which will fall into this category of non-recyclables and destined for landfill.

Financial Model

There is a strong argument that residents should be charged according to the amount they waste. However, this is very unpopular. A compromise might be to allow a certain mass per person and only charge when the volume thrown away exceeds this threshold.

Providers

Localnet staff - who probably include the ex-council bin men perform collections as well as deliveries. Although this is not one of the more glamorous aspects of the job, it is basically the same job we all do today when we take our bin bags from the house to the wheelie bin.

Evolution

As more items become recyclable and localnet leads to less external packaging of many items, so the “free” waste allowance may reduce over time.

 

Comparison

The table below assesses the impact of localnet on this service on a scale of -5 to +5 (details here)

  Existing services As part of localnet Score
Scope Everything not recycled or composted.

 

 Same. 0
Frequency

Weekly moving to fortnightly.

 Daily as needed. +4
Security Wheelie bins susceptible to dumpster diving. An individual's waste is more quickly mixed in with others and is not left lying around for snoopers. +2
Convenience Unsightly wheelie bins. Have to take bag to bin several times a week. Rubbish placed in bin vanishes as if by magic. +2
Cost Dedicated lorries, staff and infrastructure. Some dedicated containers. +3
Quality Rubbish can escape between wheelie bin and lorry. Bin bag sealed on route to van. +!
Carbon Footprint Dedicated transport. Otherwise empty backhaul being exploited. +3
Time Take the bins out every day or two. Just pop it in the bin. +1
Resources Used Fleet of bin lorries. Fleet of containers. +2
Reuse & Recycling Not applicable. Not applicable. 0
Landfill Waste What this is. What this is. 0
Other Differentiators Better career for bin men. One more council responsibility merged under localnet. +2

Services