2020 has been an extraordinary year for local authority services. With more people than ever working from home and staying indoors, waste management teams have dealt with huge volumes of household refuse – and it’s put current processes under strain.
But the story isn’t all doom and gloom. Pandemic pressures have provided councils with an opportunity for metamorphosis; a chance to innovate the way your region manages municipal waste.
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Learning lessons from lockdown
Lockdown had a significant impact on the way people generate rubbish. Panic buying, mass decluttering, the temporary closure of recycling centres and a sudden increase in people working from home contributed to higher domestic waste volumes in many areas. At the same time, social distancing measures meant local authorities were forced to reduce the size of collection crews.
If your waste management processes felt unsustainable pressure, you’re not alone. But lessons need to be learned and operations must be future-proofed, to deal with unforeseen challenges in 2021 and beyond.
In order to move forward from pandemic problems, you need to understand exactly where the greatest pressure points lie in your current system – and prioritise change. For example:
- Are you relying on manual spreadsheets or outdated software to manage operations, leading to inadequacies or inaccuracies?
- Does it take too long to produce/distribute round sheets, which can’t easily be adapted in line with real-time demand?
- Is it hard to communicate with collection crews, so information takes longer to filter back and be dealt with appropriately?
- Is there confusion among households over correct waste disposal, particularly recycling?
- Do residents find it difficult to request services like extra bins or bulky waste collections, or report fly tipping?
There may be several issues; that’s nothing to panic about. The important thing is to refine your waste management infrastructure, looking at new technologies to improve operations.
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Enhancing your approach to waste management
2020 has been intense, but it’s created a huge opportunity for change. Households are looking at the way they generate and dispose of waste, and local authorities can respond by innovating the way you manage domestic rubbish.
Going forward into 2021, it’s vital that councils enable waste management teams work flexibly, communicate clearly, and respond rapidly to local needs. And more often than not, new technology will be needed to enhance your approach.
Whitespace is already working with local authorities across the UK to create agile, effective waste management systems. To find out more, get in touch: info@whitespacews.com.
Whitespace Waste Management Software
