Collections modelling and infrastructure rationalisation for South Lanarkshire Council

SLR modelled new kerbside collection options to boost recycling, along with depot location assessments, providing the Council a compliant, cost-effective, and future-proof waste service.

Challenge

The council’s primary aims, set within a challenging waste management and circular economy policy landscape, were to:

• Future-proof its waste service in meeting legislative requirements, key targets for waste and recycling services, and policy commitments.
• Increase the efficiency and performance of the service.

To achieve its long-term aims, the council sought support in the delivery of two workstreams:

• Review of domestic kerbside collection services.
• Depot rationalisation / infrastructure review.

Solution

SLR was appointed due to the breadth of technical expertise available across the organisation. Our Sustainable Waste Management (SWM) team led the project, with support from a range of in-house technical disciplines including GIS, and Civil & Structural Engineering.

The collection service review incorporated:

• Construction of a bespoke baseline waste flow, resource and financial model in Microsoft Excel.
• Development of a longlist of service configuration options.
• Modelling of three shortlisted options against the baseline service, to understand the respective costs and impact on recycling performance, and allow the council to identify a preferred option.

The depot / infrastructure review involved:

• Site visits to assess the current conditions of all sites and identify areas of improvement / repair required.
• Costing of all identified improvements and repairs.
• Identification of areas of operational improvement and opportunities to use depots differently / more efficiently.

SLR provided a costed evaluation of four potential depot scenarios, including repairs to existing locations, consolidation of existing locations, and development of a single, new depot site to serve the entire area. With support from SLR’s GIS team, the optimum location for a new depot was identified and impacts on travel times assessed, with the aim of minimising time in transit during collection and tipping / bulking operations.

These two workstreams were then considered in combination, to assess the mutual impacts of factors common to both, including vehicle numbers, travel times and round locations. Revised depot layout plans were drawn up by our Civil & Structural Engineering team, to demonstrate deliverability of the proposals.

Impact

Through SLR’s individual and combined analysis of collection service options and depot rationalisation scenarios, the council was provided with a thorough, evidence-based analysis of deliverable solutions to achieve its long-term goals.

The council’s preferred option incorporates provision of new transfer facilities for grounds maintenance and street cleansing waste at the main depot, which SLR previously identified as a potential operational improvement / efficiency measure.

"SLRs integrated approach of reviewing our kerbside collection service in line with depot locations has provided valuable insights and deliverable options to meet the councils’ future ambitions."

Kevin Carr - Head of Facilities, Waste and Grounds Services