Barnsley Council's Leader and Deputy Leader have visited frontline waste and neighbourhood services teams to understand the scale of work delivering essential services across the borough.
Councillor William Brown, Council Leader, and Councillor Edward Dillingham, Deputy Leader, met staff from Waste and Neighbourhood Services to see first-hand the daily operations keeping communities clean and well maintained.
Scale of weekly operations
The council's waste and neighbourhood teams carry out more than 170,000 household waste and recycling collections every week. They respond to over 6,000 fly-tipping incidents each year and empty more than 2,000 litter bins across the borough weekly.
The service maintains more than 17,000 grassed areas and mechanical sweeping crews help keep more than 1,100 kilometres of roads and pathways clean. Work includes street cleansing, litter removal, fly-tipping clearance, grounds maintenance, tree management, environmental improvements and the upkeep of parks and public spaces.
Annual waste figures
Over the course of a year, Barnsley's waste teams collect more than 45,000 tonnes of grey bin waste, 25,000 tonnes of recycling and 21,000 tonnes of garden waste for composting. Services are delivered in all weather conditions throughout the year.
Technology improvements
During the visit, councillors saw how the council is investing in new technology to support staff. Waste collection vehicles are now equipped with InCab technology, providing crews with live route information, safety messages and the ability to record issues in real time.
The system has replaced many paper-based processes and allows information to be shared more quickly between crews and supervisors, helping services operate more efficiently and respond faster when issues arise.
Councillor Brown said: "Every week, crews carry out more than 170,000 waste and recycling collections, maintain thousands of green spaces and help keep our streets clean and welcoming. It was a privilege to meet staff, hear about their work and thank them for the vital role they play in serving our communities."
Councillor Dillingham added: "We were particularly interested to see how technology is helping support frontline staff, improve communication and make services more efficient, while maintaining the high standards residents expect."
