Technical Notes 2026, Issue 106 - Waste Services – Missed Collections
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The purpose of this Technical Note is to provide Elected Members with a further update on the numbers of reported missed bins across all Service areas since the previous communication on 19 June 2026
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The information below provides a breakdown of missed bins across each waste collection stream for the period of July 2025 to June 2026
- View the missed bins breakdown
- The data has been extracted from the Customer Relations Management system, Citizen Hub. This information incorporates all reports through the online web platform and via the Customer Service agents
- The Waste and Recycling Service continues to maintain a high level of collection reliability, with overall missed collections remaining well below 0.5% of total scheduled collections across all waste streams with the exception of April 2026 in which it was 0.56%
- There has been an increase in both the number of reported missed food and green waste collections. During periods of increased pressure, resources require to be prioritised based on frequency of collection and the impact on our residents, resulting in food waste being the first service to have resources reallocated
- Green waste tonnages fluctuate depending on weather conditions, making it difficult to accurately predict workload pressures . With no additional operational resilience or spare crews available to assist at this time, collections that cannot be completed on the scheduled collection day are prioritised the following day
- Staff absence continues to be a significant contributing factor to the increase in missed collections. The Service continues to experience consistently high absence levels which has reduced operational resilience; increased the reliance on overtime; and reduced any availability to return to reported missed collections received through our Customer Services platforms
- Due to the weekly frequency, food waste is the first waste stream to be postponed if resources are redeployed. These decisions are being reviewed and updated on a daily basis as resources can fluctuate daily
- Average Absent rate for frontline Waste Collection staff only per month.
Staff absent rate
Absent rate
| Date | Frontline Structure | Total Staff Absent | % |
|---|---|---|---|
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June 25 |
92 |
10 |
10.87 |
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July 25 |
92 |
15 |
16.30 |
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August 25 |
92 |
10 |
10.87 |
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September 25 |
92 |
13 |
14.13 |
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October 25 |
92 |
10 |
10.87 |
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November 25 |
84 |
16 |
19.05 |
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December 25 |
84 |
12 |
14.29 |
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January 26 |
84 |
12 |
14.29 |
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February 26 |
84 |
16 |
19.05 |
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March 26 |
84 |
18 |
21.43 |
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April 26 |
92 |
15 |
16.30 |
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May 26 |
92 |
13 |
14.13 |
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June 26 |
92 |
18 |
19.56 |
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The Service continue to utilise all aspects of the current East Dunbartonshire Council Attendance Management Policy to manage absence, with regular interventions and meetings taking place with employees
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The department has fully explored agency staff as a means of addressing staff shortages and will continue to do so. While agency staff can provide valuable short-term support, their availability is often inconsistent and unreliable resulting in uncertainty in workforce planning. It also takes new staff time to gain a knowledge and understanding of the fleet, local area, and the day-to-day challenges faced by the Service
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In addition to the above absence rates, the Service has experienced ongoing challenges in recruiting to seasonal LGV driving positions. Despite numerous adverts being released, the driving positions remain unfilled during peak operational months
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Recruitment is ongoing to backfill Squad Leader (Driver) positions, but this does have a knock-on impact if the appointments are internal operatives which create a vacancy to backfill. The Service currently has XX vacancies as of 05.08.2026
Recruitment
Recruitment
| Designation | Number | Update |
|---|---|---|
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Squad Leader |
2 |
Interviews complete / start date and training scheduled 21.08.26 as external notice period |
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Waste Operative |
2 |
Interviews scheduled 13.08.26 |
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Seasonal Squad Leader |
3 |
Advertised on 3 occasions |
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Seasonal Waste Operative |
1 |
Due to a recent promotion to a permanent post |
|
Mavis Valley |
2 |
1 each shift / advertised twice with no success |
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Total as of 05.08.2026 |
10 |
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Finally, the Service like all others must manage annual leave requests which also impact and compound any absence and vacancies. We are now at the height of the Summer, while closely managed, annual leave requests are at a peak.