Lewes District Council

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Waste, recycling and street cleaning - service standard

This tells you what standards of service you can expect from us and how to give us feedback on our performance.

Our services

• Refuse collection
• Bulky household waste collection (subject to a charge)
• Fortnightly kerbside recycling
• Provision of bring bank recycling faclities at key sites in the District
• Street cleansing
• Education and awareness on waste minimisation, reuse and recycling
• Community Resource Centre at North Street, Lewes

Our aims

• To provide a sustainable waste collection and recycling service to all homes in the District
• To keep public areas clean and tidy and take action to control litter and fly-tipping
• To provide a reliable and efficient service to all our customers, including those with specific needs
• To minimise levels of waste produced and encourage reduction, re-use and recycling

Our commitment to customers

• To provide good value, efficient and effective services to all our customers
• To provide services that everyone can use and make our buildings and information as accessible as possible
• To ensure our premises are clean, comfortable, smoke-free and well signposted
• To treat everyone fairly and respect their privacy
• To be open, honest and accountable for our actions
• To consult and listen to our customers
• To strive for continuous improvement in our services and processes 

General Standards

Our staff will:

• Be helpful, polite and professional when dealing with customers
• Wear name badges when dealing with customers - this does not apply to our refuse collection, recycling or street sweeping staff
• Provide a private interview room if requested
• Arrange a convenient date and time for meetings or appointments
• Show an official identity badge without being asked if they need to make a home visit
• Try to deal with your enquiry or complaint straight away. If the person you need to speak to is not there, they will contact you as soon as possible
• Answer the phone within 20 seconds and return phone messages within 1 working day
• When we need to use answer phones, messages will be checked regularly
• Answer your letter, fax or email within 7 working days using plain English and avoiding jargon. If the response is likely to take longer an acknowledgement will be sent confirming when you can expect a reply 
• Respond to Freedom of Information requests within 20 working days
• Apologise if we are at fault and do their best to put things right. Complaints referred to the head of service wil be dealt with within 20 working days

Our information will be:

• Clear, up to date and accurate
• Available in a range of formats and languages on request

Refuse collection

We will:

• Collect refuse weekly from the front edge of properties
• Collect missed bins within 1 working day of them being reported
• Remove bulky household waste (beds, cookers etc) within 7 working days from receipt of payment
• Let customers know in advance of any planned change in their collection day
• Provide special bags/boxes for household clinical waste and collect by prior arrangement

Recycling

We will:

• Keep our bring bank recylcing facilities clean and tidy and inspect them regularly
• Respond to complaints about the cleanliness of bring bank sites within 3 working days
• Provide kerbside recycling boxes free of charge to all households who participate in the scheme

Street Cleaning

We will:

• Maintain a regular scheduled street cleansing service
• Ensure levels of cleanliness in public areas meet national standards
• Remove illegally dumped materials within 4 days (unless there are legal reasons for delaying)

Managing our own waste

In addition to providing waste management services to local people, the Council actively manages its own waste and operates within clear environmental management policies set out in its Eco management and Audit Scheme (EMAS).

We will:

• Comply with all environmental legislation
• Minimise waste produced by the Council
• Work in partnership with others to ensure that environmentally friendly solutions are found
• Use recycled and environmentally preferable materials wherever we can
• Provide guidance and information on environmental good practice and sustainablity

What do you think?

We are always looking for ways to improve our services and are keen to hear our customers' views.

Write to us:

Customer Services
Lewes District Council
Southover House
Southover Road
Lewes BN7 1AB

Southover House is open Monday to Thursday 9.00am to 5pm and until 4.30pm on Friday

Visit us:

Community Recycling/Resource Centre

20 North Street ,Lewes

The Recycling/Resource Centre is open Monday to Friday 9.00am to 4.00pm

Telephone us:

01273 484999

Minicom - 01273 484488

Fax us:

01273 484462

Email us:

customer.service@lewes.gov.uk  

Visit our Waste & Recycling web pages:

www.lewes.gov.uk/environment/737.asp

Would you like this information in another format?

This information can be made available in printed format, large print, on audio tape or disk or in another language upon request. Please contact us on 01273 484141 or email: lewesdc@lewes.gov.uk