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Cherwell business waste team best in UK
23/11/2020
Major national award for the team that takes away the rubbish and has worked throughout the pandemic
Cherwell’s business waste team is the best in the UK – and that’s official. The crew that takes away the rubbish come rain or shine has won a major national award and beaten off competition from around the country.
The accolade came at the Excellence in Recycling and Waste Management Awards when Cherwell’s team were crowned winners in the Collection Crew Of The Year category. They were one of three finalists and faced stiff competition from the London Borough of Newham and Wychavon & FCC Environment.
Within the award criteria it states: “This award recognises the dedication and high-level of service provided by a collection crew involved in either waste collection, recycling or both.
“The judges will be looking for a commitment to providing a high level of service which can be measured in terms of consistency of service, the quality of provision, safety records and additional factors, such as, where service goes beyond the normal level.”
Councillor Dan Sames, Cherwell District Council’s Lead Member for Clean and Green, said: “Cherwell’s business waste team has experienced rapid growth in the past few years and we are really proud of their accomplishments.
“They have great relationships with their customers, and offer a tailored service to each and every one of them. It is not just a question of helping businesses fulfil their legal obligations regarding what they throw away – their expert advice is helping businesses recycle better and reduce their residual waste, which benefits the community and the wider environment too.
“Well done, business waste team!”
The Cherwell business waste team now has eight members of staff and has seen rapid growth in the past few years, with 78 new customers signing up in the 12 months to February 2020. They now serve 550 customers, including 65 schools and charities.
The tailored service includes a waste audit to increase awareness of what can be recycled, therefore reducing the waste businesses throw out in their residual bins. By doing this they were able to increase their customers’ overall recycling rate by 17 per cent in the 12 months to February 2020.
The team take their environmental responsibilities seriously, with the collections crew having reduced their fuel consumption and carbon footprint by factoring peak traffic periods and school pick-up times into their planning.
The business waste vehicles have Euro VI engines with the lowest possible emissions to minimise impact on air quality. As regards nitrogen dioxides (NOx), which can be harmful to human health, the reduction is 80% compared to the Euro V vehicles which existed prior to 2013.
The vehicles have a number of technologies installed such as vehicle tracking and driver monitoring to ensure that not only are the most efficient routes followed but that driver performance is monitored so that the lorries are driven in a fuel-efficient manner.
The business waste team have kept their service running throughout the pandemic, but allowed businesses who needed to, to suspend their service free of charge.
The team say they are proud that their service comes with no hidden charges, with no weight charges, no duty of care charges and no bin hire charges. Any local businesses signing up to the council’s commercial waste services as a new customer before the end of 2020 can get a month of waste and recycling collections free of charge.
The Excellence in Recycling and Waste Management Awards were held on November 6th, this year as an online event.
Published: by Banbury FM Newsteam