THE boss of Bristol Waste has promised to improve kerbside collections after one in five households were missed at least once and several many times over the last 12 months.
The city council company admitted its performance was “unacceptable” but said steps had been taken and extra investment made, following previous cuts, to improve the situation.
During a grilling by the strategy and resources committee into the 2025-27 business plan, managing director Richard Williams said the firm wanted to learn from past mistakes and not make the same ones twice.
The problems stemmed from the council telling Bristol Waste in summer 2023 to cut costs, which led to big changes to bin lorry routes and roads that were often missed.
Last July the company introduced an extra four recycling rounds and then an evening collection in October.
But high levels of sickness, extra household waste and recycling at Christmas and vehicle breakdowns meant hundreds of roads were missed in December, with north Bristol worst hit, including 250 streets in Clifton alone.
The waste firm, backed by Bristol City Council, is seeking a new base from 2028.
Mr Williams told strategy and resources committee members on March 17, that a new recycling facility at the Avonmouth tip would open next month and result in a much better service by reducing crews’ transport distances and delays in north Bristol.
Cllr Stephen Williams (Westbury-on-Trym & Henleaze) told him that almost every week in one corner of BS9 there were repeated missed collections.
By Adam Postans, Local Democracy Reporting Service