A new survey has claimed more than a third (35%) of the UK public have complained to the council about an issue relating to waste or recycling, with 95% of those people having made at least one complaint within the past three years.
The study, which polled more than 1000 UK adults, suggests high levels of public dissatisfaction with councils over waste issues.
The consumer-focussed survey, undertaken by software and services provider, Yotta, suggests residents living in Wales experienced the most issues regarding waste collection, with 45% of respondents saying that they had previously lodged a complaint.
These figures highlight the ongoing waste and recycling problem in the UK, Yotta says, with more than one in five (21%) waste and recycling issues taking over one week for the council to resolve.
Steve White, Yotta – “These figures should provide some concern for local councils, who in many cases are clearly leaving members of the public unsatisfied with their waste collection service.”
The poll found that more than half (53%) of the respondents would report a missed bin within 24 hours of it being missed, while 22% said they would notify the council of the problem within just two hours.
Steve White, software businesses development manager at Yotta said: “These figures should provide some concern for local councils, who in many cases are clearly leaving members of the public unsatisfied with their waste collection service.
“Many councils lack the information they need to help quickly resolve many issues – and that can often be because they are lacking the technology they need to provide that information and use it to drive improved response times.
“Many authorities still lack joined up digital channels capable of easily and speedily transferring information, which leads, in turn, to a clear disconnect between the management teams in the office and waste collectors on the street.
“New technologies are now available to help address this issue, allowing crews to report service issues and keep office staff updated with their movements or alert them of any problems on route”, says White.
“These kinds of technologies can, and already are, demonstrating benefits and helping councils enhance their services, ultimately resulting in improved levels of satisfaction among local residents.”
