Public performance reports

Waste management

The Council Plan Connect outlines the council’s priorities and outcomes for 2022-27. Connect Outcomes should not be seen in isolation, they interact with each other and as we achieve success in one, we move closer to success in others. In delivering our vision to ‘improve the lives and prospects of everyone in South Lanarkshire’ our priorities show how our work links with our partners including our Community Planning Partners.

For daily updates, stories and what’s going on in your area, visit our information and news website South Lanarkshire View

Each year we produce Annual Performance Spotlights which summarise how we have performed in achieving our Connect Outcomes. To complement these we have created a suite of individual Public Performance Reports which focus on key areas of council business. This report outlines the performance in relation to our waste management service and how this links to our communities and environment outcome.

South Lanarkshire Council is responsible for domestic refuse and recycling collection, including special uplifts. The team is also responsible for the provision of household waste and recycling centres and the treatment, recycling and disposal of waste. For more information on our performance in relation to recycling, see the sustainable development public performance report.

Number of missed refuse collections per 100,000 collections – Target <108.8 missed refuse collections
What this means	This indicator measures the number of missed refuse collections per 100,000 household collections within the year.
Why this matters	Waste collection is one of the main environmental services provided by councils. Assessing the number of bins successfully collected over the year is a simple way of assessing the effectiveness of the service.
Our performance and how we compare SLC	Comparator	2020-21	2021-22	2022-23	Are we improving?
	SLC	108.8	96.1	75.7	Yes
	Scotland	N/A	N/A	N/A	Yes
How we have performed in improving this public service	The figure for 2022-23 is lower (better) than in 2021-22 and shows continued improvement from financial year 2020-21.

Percentage of special uplifts completed on the day allocated - Target 95%
What this means	This measures the percentage of special uplifts completed on the day allocated. The council uplifts bulky items that will not go in household bins. Households are entitled to one free special uplift per year - subsequent uplifts must be paid for.
Why this matters	The level of service provided through the council’s special uplift service compares favourably with other councils. It is a service valued by the community and delivering it as quickly as possible reduces fly-tipping and ensures a clean, attractive environment.
Our performance and how we compare	Comparator	2020-21	2021-22	2022-23	Are we improving?
	SLC	89.0%	95.0%	95.2%	Yes
	Scotland	N/A	N/A	N/A	Yes
How we have performed in improving this public service	95.2% of bulk uplift requests were completed on the scheduled collection day. This is slightly better than in 2021-22 and shows a continued improvement from financial year 2020-21.

How much household waste is recycled by my council? – Target 50%
What this means	This indicator shows the amount of household waste that is recycled and composted during the year. Household waste includes household bin collections, other household collections such as bulky uplifts, and waste deposited by people at household waste recycling centres and recycling points/bring banks.
Why this matters	The council is working towards meeting the national household recycling target of 60%, with a local target currently set at 50%.
Our performance and how we compare	Comparator	2020-21	2021-22	2022-23	Are we improving?
	SLC	40.5%	40.4%	41.5%	Yes
	Scotland	42.0%	42.7%	43%	Yes
How we have performed in improving this public service	41.5% household waste was recycled in South Lanarkshire during 2022-23. This figure is higher (better) than in 2021-22 but the figure is still lower than the Scottish average but can be attributed to the fact that over 30% of properties in South Lanarkshire are flats that cannot accommodate individual recycling bins. It is well accepted that contamination rates are higher in communal recycling bins than when individual recycling bins can be accommodated.

Satisfaction data from the Scottish Household survey is not yet available for 2022-23.

The service engages with customers using a wide range of methods including ‘in-person’ visits and social media releases. Our Waste Education Team visit schools to raise awareness of the importance of recycling at home and in schools. The team also give presentations to community groups and forums.

We will take forward the following key areas for improvement:

We will continue to work to improve the quality and quantity of the recyclable waste we collect from homes and flatted properties.

Resource Plans are prepared each year by all council Resources to outline the key developments they intend to take forward in the year. Performance and actions relating to the waste management service can be found in the Community and Enterprise Resource Plan.

Twice a year, performance reports are presented to council committees on progress against the Resource Plans. In addition, reports detailing progress against the Council Plan Connect Outcomes are prepared. See Quarter 2 performance reports for further information.

More information on our outcomes can be found in the Council Plan Connect and also the Annual Performance Spotlights.

Local Government Benchmarking Framework (LGBF) allows councils to work together, to use performance information in a way which will help understand variations, share knowledge, expertise and good practice, with a view to making improvements. For more information and links relating to this framework go to the 'Benchmarking' paragraph on the Improvement and how we compare page on our website.

The information contained within this report reflects the position based on the data available at the time of publication (March 2024)