Results of bin collection survey in Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood

Claire Bonham writes:

"I wanted to update residents on the bin collection surveys we undertook across the ward in October and November. I did this in response to the many residents who had been in touch with me about the poor waste collection from Veolia, on behalf of Croydon Council.

"As well as sending details of the survey out via email, we delivered details of it to over 500 properties across the ward. We got a total of 87 responses and I wanted to share some of the results with you.

"While, I know that I was more likely to hear back from people unhappy with the service provided, it was telling that respondents gave the service an average rating of 3.6 out of 10. Unsurprising, when over 90% of respondents said that they had had problems with their waste collections, most (62%) on at least a fortnightly basis.

"In terms of the problems residents reported:

• 83% experienced missed collections
• 58% experience missed specific collections, eg fabric recycling
• Over half complained of damaged or poorly returned bins

"Other complaints were in relation to conduct of staff (11%) or off litter and waste being left on the street after the collection.

"While over 70% of respondents had reported problems to the Council, only a third of them reported the issue as resolved. Two thirds of people reported having problems reporting missed collections on the Council website and not one person reported being satisfied with the council response.

"It’s clear that Veolia and the council have a long way to go to deliver the service that residents deserve. I will be writing to the Executive Mayor and officers with results of the survey and asking what steps they will be taking to improve the service to residents of Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood."