CHANGES to waste collection in West Devon had its ‘teething problems’ last week but operatives have been congratulated for their dedicated efforts.

West Devon Borough Council introduced its new higher capacity recycling vehicles on April 16. The purpose designed trucks, with an internal crushing capacity for card, will enable the recycling teams to process more waste without the need to return to the depot as frequently.

Residents must now present their recycling in two boxes with plastic bottles and cans in one box and paper, glass, card, batteries and clothes in the other. For those who don’t have room for more than one box, plastic bottles and cans could be put out one week with the other recyclable items the next.

West Devon mayor Cllr Jeff Moody said that there had been ‘teething problems’ as operatives had to get used to the new vehicle and system of collection but asked people to be patient.

‘There has been teething problems but that is to be expected as we are in the initial stages.

‘The teams have worked their socks off and I admire them for what they have done — they worked late into the evening and everyone was pulling out all the stops.

‘I want to congratulate the operatives for their hard work.’

The economically friendly vehicles have replaced the old and costly fleet which had come to the end of its operational life. 

The separate waste compartments on the new vehicles are organised in a way that will enable the operators to process the waste in a more fluid and streamlined way.

This will enable the operators to swiftly separate the waste at the kerb side in the most effective way possible.

Cllr Robert Sampson, the council’s lead member for commercial services said: ‘A huge thank you to all of our residents this week for helping us implement the new recycling service in West Devon. Despite a few teething problems our data shows that the vast majority, almost 90% of the recycling is now being sorted correctly.  This is a huge achievement in the first week, so thank you to everyone.

‘The sorting of materials in this way will enable our collections to be done in the most effective way possible and enable us to maximise our income from the sale of recyclable materials at a time when the global markets are not making it easy for us.

‘At the moment the crews are working longer hours than normal while they get used to the new vehicles, new rounds and the new in-cab technology, so if your waste is not picked up by the end of the day, they may just be running a bit late.

‘We also know that there have been some frustrations when boxes that have ordered have not arrived.  We apologise for this and are working hard to deliver all of the containers that resident have ordered as soon as we can. We have crews working this coming weekend to catch up with the demand.

‘Anyone who is unsure of their collection day or which calendar they are on, can visit our website where they can enter their postcode and see when their next collection is. Again, thank you.’

For more information on the new recycling service visit www.westdevon.gov.uk/article/4526/Find-your-Recycling-Waste-collection-day