Bin Hub Pilot

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We are trialling a new approach to the collection of household waste from tenement flats that will involve placing new, purpose-built bin-hubs at the front of properties.

Parts of Pollokshields, Haghill and Anderston have been involved in the pilot programme, which started in Pollokshields in summer 2023 before being rolled out to Haghill and Anderston in the remainder of 2023. The areas involved have been extended over the course of the pilot programme. From September 2024 a number of streets in the Cessnock area will be included in the pilot of the scheme.

These areas have been included in the programme due to safety issues faced by our staff when collecting bins from back courts or back lanes. Moving bins to the street will deal with the safety issue but it also give us a chance to expand the range of recycling options available to residents in tenements and flats.

The new approach see bins emptied more frequently and we believe it will reduce missed bin collections while also helping residents to keep their back courts in better condition.

We hope these frequently asked questions assist with any questions you may have. Householders in the areas for the pilot programme have been contacted directly with detailed information on how the new approach operates . We will also be looking for feedback on the pilot programme from residents.

Below are the results of a residents' survey regarding the new bin hubs.

Please read what residents said and how we have tried to address their concerns.

YOU SAID	WE DID
The majority of respondents said that using the new bin hubs was a better option than using the back court bins. On the other hand, some respondents said using the new bin-hubs was a worse option than using the back court bins, while one in ten respondents said it was the same. Respondents were asked to indicate their reasons for their response in the previous question in their own words. The most mentioned comments said that their back court in now tidier, and that they were pleased that the bin hubs are emptied regularly. Respondents who liked the bin hubs were pleased that the bin-hubs have more recycling options and mentioned that the new bin-hubs are easier to use.	We are keen to retain and improve the bin hub refuse collection based on residents' feedback. As the pilot was rolled out, we had real time information we could share with new areas, and we could use the real experiences and data to inform what we could improve. Some residents were impacted more than others dependant on the positioning of the hub. We did listen and moved over 40 hubs where we could safely accommodate this.
The majority of respondents disagreed that the area around the hub or the street, more generally, is free of litter. Similarly, most respondents disagreed that the area around the hub, or the street, is free from fly tipping. Many residents who raised concerns about fly tipping in their street, however, said that this has always been the case, and it is not the result of the new bin hub.	There is a dedicated team in place that carries out daily checks and regular sweeps of each bin hub locations to remove any litter and fly tipping. During these inspections, photographs are taken which are date and time-stamped to record evidence of any litter and flytipping at the bin hubs. This has been put in place to ensure bin hub areas are kept clear and to identify and trends in relation to a specific hub. Evidence has shown that we deal with these issues much quicker but still have a way to go with education and enforcement. The data so far has shown that any issues recorded around hubs or within their vicinity are dealt with promptly and there are no incidences where issues have remained unaddressed for prolonged periods of time. We have identified two locations where additional capacity is required and have provided an additional general waste bin into each of them. There is the opportunity for residents to report via the QR code on the side of the bin hub any issues in relations to overflowing bins, flytipping or damage to the bins/bin hubs.
Residents were also concerned that, whilst 'overflowing bin' reports are currently being acted upon very quickly, once the pilot is finished service levels may decrease. The issue of cleaning the bin hubs regularly, as well as the area around them, was raised by several residents.	We are committed to maintaining the current collection frequencies. The bins and hubs have all been cleaned during the summer period and this has worked very well. We will continue to clean them, and resources will be allocated to clean the existing and any future bin hubs deployed as part of a wider project. We are keen to promote the NIV scheme - this is where residents voluntarily litter pick in their area and are keen to involve the wider community which would be residents' groups and commercial businesses. This has worked well in Paisley Road West and had a very positive effect in improving the environment and links really well with our previous findings that ongoing engagement is crucial to the success of the hubs.
Some respondents mentioned that the Bin Hub is difficult to operate because: a) there is a need to use a key, b) you need to use both hands to put the waste or recycling in the hub, and c) this may be difficult for elderly people or those with mobility issues.	We have removed locks from some locations in Pollokshields at the request of the residents and this has worked well. In future pilot areas, we have removed the need for a key to simplify the opening of the general waste bin. To date, there have been no reports of any issues with the removal of the lock. We have provided an assisted collection for a resident in the Pollokshields area.
Another concern raised by a few residents was that the new bin hubs are "not pleasant to look at".	The wrap design for hubs was from guidance provided by Zero Waste Scotland. However, we did adapt the wrapping in some locations with historical images and this proved popular and saw no evidence of people using the wrong bin due to the change in the vinyl stickers. We are also considering the involvement of schools in the design of future wraps. We are also keen to involve schools in the educational aspect of the hubs and how to use them. We are considering mini hubs for the schools for more interactive learning for children.
The majority of respondents agreed that their back court is now in better condition. A third of residents said they had made changes or are planning to make changes as to how they use their back court. Most had not made any changes or weren't planning any changes and one in ten were not sure. This was, on some occasions, due to the cost of improving the appearance and use of the back court.	Having the new bin hubs allows back courts to be developed for alternative use. Although there is no Council funding for the improvement of back courts, where bin hubs have been provided to replace bins stored within back lanes, lane improvement funding is still available to assist with the financial aspect of environmental improvements and some have already taken advantage of this opportunity with great outcomes. Please visit here for more information.
Most respondents said that finding a parking space is more difficult now.	Unfortunately, parking availability has been impacted but this has been considered against the health and safety of our operatives. As part of the wider twin stream project, consideration is being given as to whether we deploy bin hubs to the front of properties or additional wheelie bins to back courts. This mixed approach will ensure that, where possible, the loss of parking spaces will be minimised.
Respondents were then asked whether they have increased or decreased how much they recycle of each material, or whether this hasn't changed. Many more residents said they now recycle more plastic, tins, cans and cartons, paper, card and cardboard, and food waste.	Figures show that 85% of paper, card and cardboard was recycled within Haghill and 86% within Pollokshields. A massive thank you to all of you who are taking part in this! Recycling figures are impressive but there is still room for improvement. There are real examples of those who have never recycled and have now started due to the increased accessibility. Rather than storing waste and recycling within properties residents are now making more visits with smaller amounts, for example when they go to shops.
Residents expressed concerns about other residents not using bio-degradable bags for food waste recycling. Some also said that they have not been provided with a kitchen-caddy to facilitate food waste recycling.	Caddies were made available at Pollokshields library and caddies were also issued at Haghill community events. Biodegradable bags are great but not essential as bag rippers are used during processing. The important thing is that food waste is placed in the right bin and the processing will take care of the rest.
Residents complained that bin hubs are being used by commercial properties, resulting in fly tipping next to the bin hub, or damaging the locks and lids.	Our performance team is issuing weekly reports on issues around bin hubs and the impact from commercial properties has not been as bad as anticipated and our commercial enforcement teams are carrying out our duty of care checks. Paisley Road West and our positive engagement with commercial businesses has seen really positive outcomes and these businesses have taken more interest in the area at the front of their shops. Regrettably, fly tipping is an issue caused by fly tippers and not the hubs. Areas *without* hubs have higher incidences of fly tipping compared to areas *with* hubs. Hubs have also ensured that issues relating to fly tipping are addressed more quickly, due to the regular monitoring of reports. Regarding the broken lids and locks, it is not our intention to put locks on any further phases of the hubs, although we will leave this as an option as there may be the odd location where locks would be beneficial.

YOU SAID

WE DID

The majority of respondents said that using the new bin hubs was a better option than using the back court bins. On the other hand, some respondents said using the new bin-hubs was a worse option than using the back court bins, while one in ten respondents said it was the same.

Respondents were asked to indicate their reasons for their response in the previous question in their own words. The most mentioned comments said that their back court in now tidier, and that they were pleased that the bin hubs are emptied regularly.

Respondents who liked the bin hubs were pleased that the bin-hubs have more recycling options and mentioned that the new bin-hubs are easier to use.

We are keen to retain and improve the bin hub refuse collection based on residents' feedback.

As the pilot was rolled out, we had real time information we could share with new areas, and we could use the real experiences and data to inform what we could improve.

Some residents were impacted more than others dependant on the positioning of the hub. We did listen and moved over 40 hubs where we could safely accommodate this.

The majority of respondents disagreed that the area around the hub or the street, more generally, is free of litter.

Similarly, most respondents disagreed that the area around the hub, or the street, is free from fly tipping.

Many residents who raised concerns about fly tipping in their street, however, said that this has always been the case, and it is not the result of the new bin hub.

There is a dedicated team in place that carries out daily checks and regular sweeps of each bin hub locations to remove any litter and fly tipping.

During these inspections, photographs are taken which are date and time-stamped to record evidence of any litter and flytipping at the bin hubs. This has been put in place to ensure bin hub areas are kept clear and to identify and trends in relation to a specific hub. Evidence has shown that we deal with these issues much quicker but still have a way to go with education and enforcement.

The data so far has shown that any issues recorded around hubs or within their vicinity are dealt with promptly and there are no incidences where issues have remained unaddressed for prolonged periods of time.

We have identified two locations where additional capacity is required and have provided an additional general waste bin into each of them.

There is the opportunity for residents to report via the QR code on the side of the bin hub any issues in relations to overflowing bins, flytipping or damage to the bins/bin hubs.

Residents were also concerned that, whilst 'overflowing bin' reports are currently being acted upon very quickly, once the pilot is finished service levels may decrease.

The issue of cleaning the bin hubs regularly, as well as the area around them, was raised by several residents.

We are committed to maintaining the current collection frequencies.

The bins and hubs have all been cleaned during the summer period and this has worked very well. We will continue to clean them, and resources will be allocated to clean the existing and any future bin hubs deployed as part of a wider project.

We are keen to promote the NIV scheme - this is where residents voluntarily litter pick in their area and are keen to involve the wider community which would be residents' groups and commercial businesses.

This has worked well in Paisley Road West and had a very positive effect in improving the environment and links really well with our previous findings that ongoing engagement is crucial to the success of the hubs.

Some respondents mentioned that the Bin Hub is difficult to operate because:

a) there is a need to use a key,

b) you need to use both hands to put the waste or recycling in the hub, and

c) this may be difficult for elderly people or those with mobility issues.

We have removed locks from some locations in Pollokshields at the request of the residents and this has worked well.

In future pilot areas, we have removed the need for a key to simplify the opening of the general waste bin.

To date, there have been no reports of any issues with the removal of the lock.

We have provided an assisted collection for a resident in the Pollokshields area.

Another concern raised by a few residents was that the new bin hubs are "not pleasant to look at".

The wrap design for hubs was from guidance provided by Zero Waste Scotland. However, we did adapt the wrapping in some locations with historical images and this proved popular and saw no evidence of people using the wrong bin due to the change in the vinyl stickers.

We are also considering the involvement of schools in the design of future wraps.

We are also keen to involve schools in the educational aspect of the hubs and how to use them. We are considering mini hubs for the schools for more interactive learning for children.

The majority of respondents agreed that their back court is now in better condition.

A third of residents said they had made changes or are planning to make changes as to how they use their back court.

Most had not made any changes or weren't planning any changes and one in ten were not sure. This was, on some occasions, due to the cost of improving the appearance and use of the back court.

Having the new bin hubs allows back courts to be developed for alternative use.

Although there is no Council funding for the improvement of back courts, where bin hubs have been provided to replace bins stored within back lanes, lane improvement funding is still available to assist with the financial aspect of environmental improvements and some have already taken advantage of this opportunity with great outcomes. Please visit here for more information.

Most respondents said that finding a parking space is more difficult now.

Unfortunately, parking availability has been impacted but this has been considered against the health and safety of our operatives.

As part of the wider twin stream project, consideration is being given as to whether we deploy bin hubs to the front of properties or additional wheelie bins to back courts. This mixed approach will ensure that, where possible, the loss of parking spaces will be minimised.

Respondents were then asked whether they have increased or decreased how much they recycle of each material, or whether this hasn't changed. Many more residents said they now recycle more plastic, tins, cans and cartons, paper, card and cardboard, and food waste.

Figures show that 85% of paper, card and cardboard was recycled within Haghill and 86% within Pollokshields.

A massive thank you to all of you who are taking part in this!

Recycling figures are impressive but there is still room for improvement. There are real examples of those who have never recycled and have now started due to the increased accessibility.

Rather than storing waste and recycling within properties residents are now making more visits with smaller amounts, for example when they go to shops.

Residents expressed concerns about other residents not using bio-degradable bags for food waste recycling.

Some also said that they have not been provided with a kitchen-caddy to facilitate food waste recycling.

Caddies were made available at Pollokshields library and caddies were also issued at Haghill community events.

Biodegradable bags are great but not essential as bag rippers are used during processing. The important thing is that food waste is placed in the right bin and the processing will take care of the rest.

Residents complained that bin hubs are being used by commercial properties, resulting in fly tipping next to the bin hub, or damaging the locks and lids.

Our performance team is issuing weekly reports on issues around bin hubs and the impact from commercial properties has not been as bad as anticipated and our commercial enforcement teams are carrying out our duty of care checks.

Paisley Road West and our positive engagement with commercial businesses has seen really positive outcomes and these businesses have taken more interest in the area at the front of their shops.

Regrettably, fly tipping is an issue caused by fly tippers and not the hubs. Areas without hubs have higher incidences of fly tipping compared to areas with hubs.

Hubs have also ensured that issues relating to fly tipping are addressed more quickly, due to the regular monitoring of reports.

Regarding the broken lids and locks, it is not our intention to put locks on any further phases of the hubs, although we will leave this as an option as there may be the odd location where locks would be beneficial.