CCTV cameras to help cut queues at local tips
Council hope technology will see residents stagger their trips
NEW CCTV cameras will let residents check how busy their local tip is online - in a bid to cut queues at peak times.
Images will be live streamed from all 14 of Staffordshire County Council’s household waste recycling centres, including those in Leek, Cheadle and Biddulph.
Council leaders hope the new camera system, due to be installed this year, will result in residents staggering their trips to the tip, reducing queueing at peak times. The scheme is one of a number of changes being implemented at the tips, following the council’s move to bring the service back in-house in March.
A council report states that there has been ‘under investment’ in the tips in recent years, meaning that a ‘significant’ amount will need to be spent on them to bring the network ‘up to an appropriate standard.’
Councillor Simon Tagg, cabinet member for environment, infrastructure and climate change, said: “This is a large, complex operation which only closes three days a year and I am delighted by the smoothness of the return in-house.
“This will ensure we maintain the best service for residents and it also allows us to be sustainable and innovative at the same time. Improvements such as the installation of cameras that residents can view on their phone or on their laptop are all part of the process to encourage recycling.”
Staffordshire’s tips were previously run by FCC, but the company was allowed to leave its contract early in 2020. Amey then ran the service under a short-term emergency contract, which ended on March 29.
Council leaders believe running the tips directly will be more cost effective and will give the authority more control over the service.
Since March the council has increased the number of lorries removing recycling from the tips from four to seven, allowing more material to be accepted. The council hope this increased capacity will result in a higher recycling rate. Cabinet members at the council will be given an update on the service when they meet on June 15.
According to the report to cabinet, the council will need to update its approved policy on how waste from the tips is managed, as the existing document dates back to 2013.
The report states: “Alongside the need to review this policy, there is a need to review the current condition of the infrastructure and mobile plant across the network. It is apparent that there has been under investment in maintenance of the network for several years which has led to significant investment being required to bring the network up to an appropriate standard.”
Mr Tagg said the council would be detailing the investment for a ‘significant improvement and maintenance plan’ later this year. He added: “We want to make the HWRCS sustainable for the future, encourage greater use now and able to deal with future demand from a growing population.”