Sandwell MBC: Changing to contractor led collections

Serving over 290,000 people Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council (SMBC) provides waste recycling and disposal services to all households. We have worked with SMBC for many years providing a wide range of different campaigns and promotional materials. For a selection of more general work for SMBC see the SMBC case study.

Service change flyer

Serco is one of the largest service providers working in the UK and Europe. They are listed in the FTSE 100 and provide a diverse range of services.

The brief

Until recently SMBC collected most of the waste and recycling in the Borough using its own direct labour organisation and a third sector company.  Disposal was arranged through separate contracts for waste disposal, composting and recycling. SMBC decided that a more successful arrangement would be achieved by combining all the waste and recycling functions and outsourcing these roles to an outside contractor. SMBC were looking for a contractor that would be able to perform:

  • Collection and disposal of household waste
  • Collection and processing of recyclables
  • Collection and treatment of garden waste
  • Collection and treatment of food waste 

In addition to these services it was decided that the contractor should also offer:

  • Communications planning
  • Design, print and delivery of literature and advertising materials

Serco tendered for the work and were successful. Get it Sorted developed the method statements for the communication elements of the tender with the aim of providing these services.

During the mobilization period we developed a communication plan to deliver the messages to residents for the complex and multi tiered changes to the services planned by Serco. To avoid confusion amongst residents these were split into three distinct phases.

Phase 1 

Up until Serco taking over the services, SMBC had been providing its residents with two differing recycling collections. 50% used a co mingled blue lidded collection bin. The other 50% used an older green kerbside box and plastic bags for their recyclables. The bag and box recycling systems offered the opportunity to recycle textiles. Unfortunately this was a provision Serco could not continue to offer and meant that residents would have to be informed of the removal of textiles from their current service.

Textiles recycling service change leaflet

By isolating this phase more time was given to the operational preparations for the bigger changes to come later. This meant that the message as far as this phase went was a simple one to deliver. Collection crews delivered two page leaflets informing the residents of the changes as they collected the recycling.

Phase 2

The next phase of the project was more complex. Those residents who still used the kerbside boxes and bags, sorted at the roadside, were to be moved over to the blue lidded co-mingled bins. This would mean a higher level of efficiency in the collection process.

To prepare them for such a major change introductory leaflets were mailed to all households. These leaflets outlined and introduced the changes that would be happening to their service, the new recycling bin, common questions and contact details. These were delivered around two weeks before the changeover to make sure that residents were well prepared.

Commingled recycling instructional leaflet and calendar

With the delivery of their new blue-lidded bin was an instructional leaflet. This had more detail on what could and could not be recycled. This also included a calendar, customised to each area, day and collection route.

With such a big change it is important to minimise teething problems by making sure that residents are well aware of the changes and what they have to do to use the service effectively. Effective communications saves time and resources dealing with queries and problems.

Phase 3

Once all households had the same collection services collection days had to be changed. This would make the process of collection both easier, faster and to make the backup to crews stronger in case of technical failure.

2 page day change flyer

This was done by delivering a two page flyer with one side informing them that their services would remain the same apart from the collection day. The other side was a calendar, with 20 versions for each of the different collection areas. Again, these were mailed out to all households using the database from the round reorganisation. Although mailing out is expensive, targeting can be very precise and over a period of three days all households can be informed of their new collection day.  This allows crews to be deployed on the old rounds one week and change to the new rounds the following week knowing householders have been informed of their new collection day.

Press and outdoor advertising also supplemented this phase of the service changes.

Phase 4

The last phase of the project was the introduction of three new bins. The first was a grey residual waste bin, replacing the bin bags left on the streets up till this point. The second and third were a food waste caddy for kitchen use and a food waste bin for collections respectively.

Instructional leaflet for new household and food waste bins

Now that the round changes had settled the crew delivered an introductory leaflet that outlined the service changes and the benefits of the new service. It is important to note that a strong and consistent brand was maintained in all the promotional material which gave continuity, recognition and trust to the residents.

A 4 page instructional leaflet, enclosed in clear plastic film, to protect it from water and dirt was delivered with the new bins. Road shows, press and outdoor advertising also supplemented this phase of the service changes.

Conclusion

By coordinating between SMBC and Serco we took a complex set of service changes and delivered the communication to householders in a simple yet effective manner. Residents were well informed throughout and as a result much more likely to take to the new service without problem or complaint. This competency in managing the communications allowed Serco to improve the quality of the services required by the residents of Sandwell.

About Sandwell MBC & Serco 

  • Serco Plc. are one of the largest service providers in Europe, employing over 100,000 employees. Amongst their remit is the provision waste and recycling services
  • Sandwell MBC is one of the West Midlands major hubs and boasts a diverse population of over 290,000 residents