Residents more satisfied with council services

The major annual survey of Edinburgh residents has shown record levels of satisfaction with local services, continuing a steady trend over the last five years. The most improved services include recycling, street cleaning, parks, pavement maintenance and community safety. However, the results also highlight areas for further work, including refuse collection, dog fouling and public engagement.

Overall, 86% of Edinburgh residents are satisfied with the way the Council is managing neighbourhoods, a 19% rise on 2008. At a local level, improvements can be seen in all neighbourhoods, particularly the South West, Forth, Leith and Portobello and Craigmillar. While Forth and Pentlands generally fall below the city average, these have seen a significant increase in satisfaction since the previous survey.

Council Leader Cllr Andrew Burns said: “We know how much importance our residents place on us getting the basics right and I’m delighted to see these improvements, especially for the thousands of staff who work hard all year round to deliver high-quality services to the people of this city. What’s even more impressive is that this has been achieved against a backdrop of real pressure on public finances and the need to make efficiencies throughout the Council”

The survey also shows that satisfaction with how the Council manages the city overall has increased to 72% from a low of 35% in 2009. Commenting on the figure, Cllr Burns added: “This measure has varied a lot in the last five years and the most recent change is so large we should be cautious about drawing conclusions based on this year’s result alone. It may be that the progress with the tram project is a factor. Our strong leadership and commitment to listening could equally have helped. Either way, it’s something we need to understand better.

“Overall, while the results are encouraging there can be no room for complacency. We are ambitious for the city and there is much work yet to be done, so we simply need to continue delivering the pledges we made to Edinburgh residents and look for that to be reflected in future surveys.”

The public’s top five priorities for improvement included road improvements and safety, street cleaning and refuse collection, activities for children/young people, tackling dog fouling, and more shopping facilities and entertainment.

Deputy Council Leader Cllr Steve Cardownie said: “Our recent budget clearly shows we have listened to residents, with an extra £12m going into doubling the budget for fixing potholes and pavements, as well as investment in other facilities and services that the public value. The continued improvements also underline the fact that we have been responding to concerns, but we will make sure that we also tackle the areas where the survey shows we need to do more. That’s essential for the people who live and work here, but also for maintaining our reputation as a world-class capital city.”

Other findings in the Edinburgh Peoples Survey 2012 include:

•Improved performance of the whole Council compared to previous years. As well as overall management of the city, there were increases in delivering value for money and displaying sound financial management.
•Edinburgh continues to be highly regarded as a place to live with 97% expressing satisfaction, continuing a year-on-year increase since 2010. Satisfaction with neighbourhoods as place to live has also stayed very high at 94%, up by 8% since 2008.
•High levels of satisfaction with nursery, primary and secondary schools (excluding those who stated ‘don’t know’).
•Improved satisfaction with the way the Council communicates with customers and “puts customers first”.
•Satisfaction has reduced in refuse collection (to 78%) and dog fouling (to 48%).
•Road maintenance continues to have a lower satisfaction score than other services (56%), staying about the same over the five-year period.
•Reduced feeling of ability to have a say on local issues and services.

More detailed analysis will be carried out to understand the reasons underlying the changes in satisfaction, and the research will also be used by managers and staff to develop action plans for maintaining high performance and addressing areas for improvement.

One area that’s been highlighted for improvement is refuse collection and recycling. The introduction of fortnightly bin collections proved unpopular when introduced last year, and the council acknowledges there are still issues to be resolved. Local resident Frank emailed a picture of his bin (below) yesterday, saying: ‘I live in Granton Terrace and the bin men have left half the buckets in the street because they say they are overfilled. We received a phone call from them saying we can take our excess rubbish to a Recycling Centre. Do you think that would be a good idea, taking rubbish bags on the bus to Seafield?”

So the council is making progress, but there’s still room for improvement in service delivery. But then, you’re never going to be able to please all of the people all of the time, are you?

Do you think council services have improved in your neighbourhood? Let us know!

Recycle those Christmas cards at Sainsbury’s

Post-Christmas clean up? Don’t throw your old Christmas cards out with the rest of your household rubbish – recycle them at Sainsbury’s Blackhall!

Sainsbury’s is providing local residents with a solution to make use of their Christmas cards this year. The store has a Christmas card recycling bin in place and residents can bring in their cards until 15 January.

Sainsbury’s is making a donation to the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) based on the volume of cards collected.

Sainsbury’s are trying to do their bit for the environment by helping customers tackle post-Christmas waste and impact on landfill by:

Making a donation to Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) from Christmas card recycling in 500 stores including Blackhall
Providing a safe way for customers to dispose of post-Christmas batteries – over 21 million batteries recycled by Sainsbury’s in the past year from in-store collections
Offering recycling facilities at over 300 stores including Blackhall to help customers reduce waste to landfill and support hassle free post-Christmas clear outs – Sainsbury’s has collected over 9 million items of clothing in 11 months!

The twelve days of a greener Christmas

As festive celebrations take place across the country, Scots are being encouraged to spread seasonal goodwill by making greener choices this Christmas …

More waste is produced at Christmas than at any other time of year. It’s estimated Scotland uses over 30,000 km of wrapping paper – enough to stretch from Scotland to Australia and back again. And millions of glass bottles and cans will be disposed of – all of which can be recycled.

Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead believes that people across the country can play their part in making Scotland a cleaner, greener, place to live simply by taking small steps to reduce waste and adopt a greener lifestyle.

He said: “The festive season is a fantastic time to have fun, relax and enjoy quality time with the family. While Scots across the country are doing just that, it’s also important that we take a minute to think about the impact of our choices on the environment. By simply making a few greener choices this Christmas time, we can all play a part protecting Scotland’s stunning beauty and natural resources.

“Simple greener choices are all that’s needed – from reusing or recycling our wrapping paper and packaging, to planning meals and using up leftover food. If more people do these things, it can make a real difference, reducing the impact on the environment and saving money too, which will benefit families and communities all across Scotland.

“We are committed to creating a greener, cleaner Scotland now and for the future. If we all do our bit to reduce, reuse and recycle this festive season, we can work together to achieve this.”

There are lots of things we can all do to have make the festive season greener. To help you get started, the Scottish Government’s Greener Together campaign has put a new twist on some old favourites.

The 12 tips for a greener Christmas time are:

1. Greener Christmas cards Recycle your festive greetings cards or get creative reusing them for festive family fun or even preparing greetings cards or gift labels for next year which can help to reduce your Christmas waste this year and next.

2. Add a touch of nature to decorate your home Use nature’s resources to dream up the perfect natural decorations this festive season – have a fun day out with the family to collect evergreen wreaths, pine cones and seed pods to make your home festive. Decorations can be made from organic materials including cinnamon sticks, wood and dried fruit like orange slices or reusing last year’s Christmas cards.

3. Recycle your Christmas tree Why not give your artificial Christmas tree and decorations another go next season and if you’re using a real tree take it to a collection point for composting? If your real tree has roots it can be planted in your garden after Christmas and dug up for display again the next year.

4. Save Energy Remember to turn off your Christmas tree lights, and any appliances that are on standby, when you go to bed or if you’re out. Simply switching the lights off and even turning the heating down by one degree helps saves money and the environment.

5. Use rechargeable batteries New gifts at Christmas often mean a lot of batteries. Batteries contain toxic chemicals and must be recycled properly. Many shops now have battery recycling points, as do some town halls, schools and libraries – look out for the Be Positive signs to find out where you can recycle batteries. As an alternative, use rechargeable batteries or try the new AA size USB rechargeable batteries. By opening the cap and plugging into a USB connector, you can recharge them pretty much anywhere.

6. Give unwanted gifts a new life Rather than binning any unwanted presents or items you no longer need after Christmas, pass them on to be reused or recycle them. Charity shops will be happy to take good quality items off your hands and you can freecycle too. If they aren’t in good enough shape to be passed on, why not see if you can recycle them?

7. Eat in season Scotland produces a huge variety of foods throughout the year, so it’s always better to choose flavoursome, in season food – especially at Christmas time. Give your local producers a boost by buying the best of Scotland’s natural larder this festive season. For wholesome winter soups and stews, choose an in season ingredient and find a recipe that puts it to good use at:

8. Reduce food waste You can make the food you buy for Christmas go further with some simple menu planning and careful storage to keep food fresher for longer. It’s always best to cook only the amount you and your family will eat. Why not use our recipe finder to work out how to use up those Christmas leftovers?

9. Recycle food waste or consider using a composting bin Using a food recycling service (food waste collections, provided by local authorities are already available in some towns and cities, and will be coming to others soon) keeps food and drink that is thrown away out of landfill, and helps reduce emissions of harmful greenhouse gases. You can also compost food waste such as banana skins, tea bags or apple cores in your garden.

10. Reuse wrapping paper You can unwrap presents carefully and reuse the paper next year. And when it comes to presents we all know that kids often prefer to play with the packaging instead of the actual toy – so why not make the most of it and create a den, pretend car or even Santa’s sleigh to have fun with. Go to www.playtalkread.org for more fun-time ideas.

11. Use the car less Plan your trips this festive season – write lists to prevent going back and forward for forgotten items, use the bus if you can or walk to local shops. Why not involve the kids in the spreading the festive season cheer? Take them out for a walk and get them to deliver local thank you cards in person, cutting down on vehicle use.

12. Charity shop and vintage chic You don’t have to break the bank to look stylish at Christmas time. Look out for classic outfits in your local vintage or charity shop. You can often find unique items tucked away at an affordable price. By mixing and matching, you can put together a statement outfit which will make your wardrobe dazzle this festive season.

Check for change to your festive bin collections

Edinburgh residents are being asked to check changes to their refuse and recycling collection days over the festive season. Collections will be earlier than usual in order to take account of the Christmas and New Year holidays.

Collection dates for green household bins and food waste will change from:

Tuesday 25 December – Saturday 22 December;
Wednesday 26 December – Sunday 23 December;
Tuesday 1 January – Saturday 29 December;
Wednesday 2 January – Sunday 30 December;
Thursday 3 January – Saturday 5 January.

Red and blue box collections will be as normal apart from those due to be picked up on Christmas Day, which will change to Saturday 22, and New Year’s Day, which will change to Saturday 29. If boxes are not picked up on these dates, please leave them out until they are collected. Please note that services may be subject to change in the event of severe weather.

Christmas trees will be picked up by refuse collectors if they are left on the kerbside on brown bin collection days from January 7. They should have all decorations removed and cut into five foot lengths. Trees can also be recycled at any of the city’s three community recycling centres. Garden waste bins will not be collected from December 22 until January 6.

Environment Convener Councillor Lesley Hinds said: “It is important that residents make sure that they find out when refuse and recycling will be picked up during the festive season. “A lot of the rubbish we produce at this time of year is recyclable, like cardboard and wrapping paper, so take advantage of our recycling facilities and try to stick to the reduce, re-use and recycle message. “We have made special arrangements to make sure that no-one misses a collection at this time but we can’t control the weather so please check our website over Christmas for any possible changes if the weather is bad.”

For more information about rubbish and recycling, please visit the Council website.

Letter: Word of praise for recycling service

Dear Editor,

With all due respect to Mr Pickering’s laudable concern for the impact on working conditions of privatisation, may I venture a word of praise for the recycling service implemented by the Council, now augmented by the long overdue and very welcome provision of food recycling?

Surely a very positive outcome of fortnightly collections could be a heightened effort on the part of all responsible citizens to reduce the bulk of their refuse. While I concede that it is comparatively easy for me to reduce the bulk of my refuse given that my family have grown up and left home , nevertheless I take pride in the fact that with determination and commitment to caring for our environment, I now find it possible, given the comprehensive provision of recycling services, to put out my green bin – containing at most two black bags of refuse – only once every second month.

As citizens we cannot with impunity continue piling mountain upon mountain of stinking refuse into landfill. It distresses me to witness householders loading up their green bins with recyclable material when the Council is providing such detailed support in terms of recycling bins and literature, and when there are recycling points within walking distance of all able-bodied inhabitants of North Edinburgh.

Joyce Gunn Cairns, West Pilton

Clearing up confusion over waste collection?

Following yesterday’s ‘stink’ about refuse collections in North Edinburgh Pippa Milne (pictured below), the city council’s Waste Services manager, explains what’s been done – and what’s being done – to make the new waste collection service work efficiently:

“Recycling Advisors door knocked 2,375 properties on 13 August to advise residents of the change to Managed Weekly Collections and offer recycling advice. Further engagement was carried out within the first two weeks after 10 September following reports of excess waste being presented and bins out for collection on the wrong day – we also cleared the excess.

“The following day the Recycling Advisors visited the area to advise residents of the correct presentation days, offered collection day calendars, further recycling advice, took orders for additional recycling boxes and extended an offer of general support. There were 111 requests for additional or replacement boxes and the additional recycling box requests are all complete.

“The residents have had access to recycling facilities – both kerbside and on-street – for a number of years and we have also conducted satellite deliveries of boxes where all the properties were delivered a leaflet informing of a location and time to pick up boxes.”

Are you still experiencing bin collection problems? Are you now recycling more?

Let us know!

Papers will be available in advance of the meeting at http://www.edinburghnp.org.uk/neighbourhood-partnerships/inverleith/downloads/links-to-inverleith-np-papers/and paper copies will be available on the evening.

For further information please contact Neighbourhood Partnership Development Officer Elaine Lennon on 529 5270 or email elaine.lennon@edinburgh.gov.uk

Tag: recycling