WasteWorks, our front-end solution for local authority waste services, launched in 2021. It was born out of the realisation that residential (and later commercial) waste services would also benefit from our simple yet effective citizen-centred design approach. While most councils already had some form of digital offering for managing waste at this time, we were seeing time and again how many of the existing processes and systems were creating contact that was avoidable if only the technology could be as adaptive and interoperable as the waste industry requires it to be.
When we first started to scope out the key pain points WasteWorks needed to resolve for councils and for citizens, missed collections and the administrative burden associated with them were right up there among the top priorities.
In the first instance, how can we help residents and commercial waste clients to avoid missing a collection? If a collection is missed, how can we make it easier to report and understand what happens next? Simultaneously, how can we help councils to reduce avoidable contact about missed collections and the associated costs?
Here are some of the ways WasteWorks helps to keep missed collections to a minimum, accommodating the individual needs of each council and ensuring reports are only made when a collection has genuinely been missed.
Download collection schedules to a digital device calendar
WasteWorks gives users the ability to download a live collection schedule to a digital device calendar, such as a mobile phone or laptop.
Cleverly, the calendar events will update automatically whenever you need to make a change to a collection schedule, such as for bank holidays.
Collection calendar PDFs
For councils that produce downloadable collection calendars, WasteWorks can now automatically match properties to the correct PDF calendar based on:
- Collection day
- Collection schedule
- Round configuration
This allows users to quickly access the correct calendar for their address without needing to search manually.
Time-restricted problem reporting
Harnessing data shared through integration with an in-cab system, WasteWorks is able to lock the form for reporting a collection as missed until your waste collection crews have definitely finished their route.
It’s also possible to display preemptive messaging to users to explain that a collection may be delayed and why.
Resolution-aware reporting
In cases where you know that a collection has been missed, a message can be displayed to users on the WasteWorks homepage to explain what happened. For example, if a bin was not presented, or access to the road was blocked.
Such messaging can also be incorporated into the problem-reporting form, like we’ve done with the London Borough of Bromley’s WasteWorks, whose form workflow takes collection outcomes into account when residents report missed collections.
For example:
- If a collection was recorded as contaminated, residents receive guidance explaining why a missed collection cannot be reported.
- If a collection was marked as not presented, residents can dispute that outcome and request further review.
Closing the feedback loop
Perhaps most importantly, where a missed collection report is appropriate, users receive a confirmation of their report and updates as the report is handled by the council, reducing the need for costly follow-up contact.
Updates are sent via email, but can also be sent via text where an integration with Notify is in place.
Meanwhile, for commercial waste clients, the process is the same. Users can check up on the status of their collections all from one dashboard, and self-serve reports and requests where necessary.
Where a collection was missed, information about why is provided directly from the integrated system, along with instructions for what to do next.
If a container was not presented due to damage or theft, communication about these issues can also be handled through the WasteWorks dashboard, removing the need for expensive phone calls or emails (although customer service teams can use the same interface to complete reports or requests on behalf of residents or commercial waste clients who require support to use digital channels).
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If you’d like to understand more about how WasteWorks could work for you, drop us a message.
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