Cotswold District Council’s new innovative In-Cab technology makes impressive improvement to waste collection service

As part of the goal to enhance, modernise and streamline its services, Cotswold District Council installed the technology in 2020, to improve collection rates and reduce service issues. Ubico, who deliver the service on behalf of the Council are now able to more efficiently manage collection rounds and provide a better service to residents. 

Andrew Doherty, Cabinet Member for Environment, Waste and Recycling said: “Our percentage of missed collections was already very low, but we collect 8 million containers a year over a huge area and every improvement makes a big difference. We have seen a dramatic reduction in missed collections, an increase in service performance and a better service for our customers overall.” 

“Our main goal is to continuously improve our waste collection customer service and I’m pleased that customer calls to the waste line were reduced by 31% within the first month of the system being introduced. This is made possible by new technology that allows crews to communicate directly with the depot and customer services, with enquiries or issues being responded to much faster. Our residents receive a quicker response to waste and recycling enquiries and our household, garden, recycling and food waste collections are improved. The system also helps with container deliveries, meaning that they are completed faster and more efficiently.

Using GPS, rounds can now be monitored and issues can be logged by the crews so data is instantly available on the performance of the collections. This technology has made our waste collection fleets more accurate, efficient and economical, reducing environmental and resource impacts.  

Following the success of the introduction of In-Cab technology at Cotswold District Council, other Ubico council partners have subsequently implemented the service or are considering doing so. By having the same technology in place for neighbouring councils, there is further potential to optimise collection rounds across boundaries which would bring additional efficiencies by needing fewer resources.