Conservative-led West Lindsey District Council's Operational Service Team has been voted the best in the country for its bin collections, for the second year running.
West Lindsey District Council kerbside collections of the black, blue and green bins have been awarded Best Performer in England: Refuse Collection by the Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE). APSE is a national benchmarking group that promotes excellence in public services among over 300 councils.
The winners were announced at a charity dinner in Blackpool, hosted by Coronation Street star Catherine Tyldesley who plays Eva Price. Conservative Chairman of Prosperous Communities Committee, Cllr. Malcolm Parish, said:
“I am very proud of our waste people, they have done a brilliant job. To have won this award two years in a row, is absolutely amazing.
“It is fantastic news, and our residents should be really proud that we have been voted as having the best refuse collectors in the country.
“Every week our collection teams empty up to 60,000 bins across an area of 447 square miles. Winning this award is national recognition for their efforts in delivering highly valued public services."
Opening the awards APSE National Chair Leon Unczur said:
“Local councils have led the way on delivering first class local public services. Using performance information has been a vital tool in that success.”
Conservative Leader of West Lindsey District Council, Cllr Jeff Summers said:
“West Lindsey residents are doing fantastically well to recycle more than half a tonne of waste materials per household each year.
“It is testament not only to all the hard work that council officers have put in but also the way in which residents have played their part in making the triple bin scheme such a success. Together, we prevented more than 20,000 tonnes of waste going into landfill last year – saving money and protecting the environment.”
The council was considered against several measures including cost, quality of service, the tonnes of domestic waste recycled per household, the percentage of household waste that is diverted from landfill, and customer satisfaction. The council was highly praised for maintaining its position as one of the highest recycling authorities in the country – despite making significant cost savings. The recycling rate stands at around 54% and the cost of all collections is only just over £1 per property per week on average.