Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Dated dustcarts to be binned
A new fleet of rubbish trucks will take to the district’s streets next year when the city council gains control of emptying bins. Current waste contractor Serco, which has been operating across Canterbury, Herne Bay and Whitstable for 30 years, is deemed to be using out-of-date dustcarts that are prone to breaking down. Therefore, when the council cuts its ties with the business and effectively brings waste services in-house, it will be ordering replacement vehicles. Come the start of February, the newly-formed Canterbury Environment Company - which will operate from Serco’s existing base in Wincheap - will be collecting the district’s bins. Top jobs at the firm are now being advertised, while much of the existing Serco workforce will be transferred over. The trucks will not form part of the exchange, however, as the council seeks to obtain a more reliable fleet. Authority leader Ben Fitter-harding said: “We had all the trucks appraised and the state of the lorries says a lot about the bin collection service we’ve had. “We’ll be getting a different fleet but it’ll be temporary while we look to get more environmentally-friendly vehicles.” Council spokesman Leo Whitlock says most of Serco’s dustcarts are “past their useful life” and prone to breakdowns. “The knock-on effects are late or missed collections although the vast majority of residents have always received a reliable service,” he said.
“Add that to the fact some of the vehicles used by Serco are too large for some of the district’s streets and it is easy to see why the council is exploring its options.
“We are in the middle of the procurement process where suppliers compete on price and other factors for the contract to supply vehicles. We will decide whether it is most cost effective to buy new vehicles, lease them or a combination of the two. “The benefits will be lower maintenance costs and less need to hire vehicles at short notice at higher cost.”