What a waste!

At SHDC's Executive meeting held last Thursday it was reported that the Council's waste collection contractor, FCC, has shown an improvement in its collection service.

Cllr John Birch says "At the height of its dismal performance it was being reported that FCC was missing up to 1600 household recycling collections each day. Following widespread public outrage and pressure from SHDC councillors at two lively council meetings FCC took immediate steps to improve its performance. The missed collections at the beginning of July were reduced to 200 per day. However, this is still not good enough as there shouldn't be any missed collections.

This so-called improved performance masks the fact that because of FCC's dismal performance it has yet to commence the introduction of the new recycling service to over 8,000 households in South Hams In addition, many households are having to put food waste into the large black bins, and thus preventing it from being processed locally for green energy and soil conditioner.

As a result of FCC's poor performance and its failure to fulfil its contractual obligations the residents of South Hams are without a fully operational recycling service that promised to bring about a much-improved rate of recycling. I am doing my best to ensure that the Council operates all the necessary provisions in its waste contract with FCC that not only brings about a fully operational recycling service that residents expect and deserve but it recovers all its financial entitlements resulting from FCC's failures"