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Street cleansing

Head of service

Jane Donovan

Date

October 2009

Number of staff and equipment street

Street Cleansing (including litter bin emptying/washing)

Monday to Friday, 6am to 8am

• Four large mechanical brooms
• Six small mechanical brooms
• Nine vans(16 operatives) (one supervisor)

Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm (7pm in summer)

• Four operatives remove litter
• See * for breakdown of activity

Monday to Friday, 8am to 10.50am*

• Four Overton vacuum cleaners attend BID area to maintain cleanse after early morning teams

Monday to Friday, 11am to 5pm winter (7pm in summer)

• * three operatives maintain cleanse - litter patrol

Monday to Friday, 2pm to 7pm in summer

• Two additional operatives maintain cleanse - litter bins and litter hot spots

11am to 1pm and 2pm to 5pm (7pm in summer)

• LDV caged van with driver and mate empty litter bins

8am to 1pm and 2pm to 4.30pm

• Two applied sweepers (one ride on and one 525) sweep the city centre

Saturday, 4am to 8am

• Two large brooms
• Two Street Kings (four operatives)
• One LDV (two operatives)

Saturday, 11am to 5pm (7am in summer)

• Three operatives de-litter
• One LDV (two operatives)
• Suction sweepers (two operatives)

Sunday, 4am to 8am

• Two large brooms
• Two Street Kings (four operatives)
• One LDV (two operatives)

Sunday, 11am to 5pm (7pm in summer)

• Two LDV (two drivers)
• Two operatives de-littering

Specification

The overall level of the council's existing Street Services cleansing resource will continue throughout the lifetime of the BID. However, the BID will add value by establishing a BID area focussed cleansing team, on duty seven days per week, capable of one hour reactive response for the following tasks: litter picking, bin emptying (power washing of litter bins would be undertaken outside of core hours), fast food debris spillages, graffiti, fly posting and vandalism. This team will be multi skilled, flexible and accessible through a single hotline number.

According to this baseline there are at least five cleansing operatives working in city centre daily. This team, supplemented by BID-funded cleansing staff, will be available to respond to calls and queries from businesses during the day, often before the 6 hours maximum time period specified in the Environment Protection Act 1990 (subject only to other priority workloads and safety considerations).

The cleansing specification will be uplifted at peak periods, including special events, to take account of additional visitors and maintain the level of cleanliness at A or B as specified under the EP Act 1990. During the following periods, two additional operatives equipped with Overtons should be provided in the city centre from 11am to 5pm:

• Half terms
• Summer holidays
• Christmas (from the start of late night shopping)

Two mechanical sweepers are currently being trialed in the BID area.  Following the BID's establishment, the BID may fund the cost of one mechanised sweeper in the BID area.

A program of power washing and chewing gum removal should be trialed, with careful evaluation of the costs and benefits, including the rate at which gum staining returns.

The whole of the public realm within the BID area, including rear car park courtyards and alleys and all publically accessible private land, will be included in the daily cleansing specification.

The cleansing of car parks will include Sundays. (There is currently no cleanse from Saturday morning until Monday morning)

Performance measure

Cleansing standards

The Environmental Protection Act 1990 specifies the cleansing standards that should be met in Zone 1 Primary Retail.

The Environment Protection Act 1990 and The Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse grading system used is:

• A. Is clean of all litter and detritus
• B. Is light
• C. Is significant
• D. Is heavy

The cleanliness standards are:

• A. Achieve after cleansing
• B. Restore to Grade A within six hours
• C. Restore to Grade A within three hours
• D. Restore to Grade A within one hour

The council's existing baseline target standard for the BID area is to consistently achieve grade A after cleansing, and to restore any light littering (for example grade B) to grade A within a maximum of 6 hours as defined in the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

There are between 10 and 16 daily (computer generated) inspections carried out. The amount of inspections per day depend upon the PC print outs with no less than 10 being carried out on a daily basis.

During the course of the working day, the city centre is monitored by the cleansing team leader who actions any remedial work as may be required. These inspections are undertaken as per the Environmental Protection Act and the Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse

In addition, the city centre is monitored three times/annum by the Council's Street Services Department for performance under BVPI 199.

Non - compliance procedure

• Independent monitoring - under the BID, cleansing and other environmental quality standards will be measured independently using the - nationally recognised - ENCAM’s District Local Environmental Quality Survey. This will provide the Plymouth City Centre Company with an independent measure of cleansing standards, covering a wide range of environmental issues for example litter, detritus, trade waste, pigeon waste, fly-posting, graffiti, levels of chewing gum, street furniture repair, etc. Any failure to maintain acceptable standards will result in a variation notice being submitted to the council.
• Existing value of contract/service - agreement that the £286,000 original budget in 2004 to 2005 will be increased to £345,413 in 2005 to 2006, and that this increased annual budget will be maintained throughout the five year lifetime of the BID.

Boundary area

BID area.

Proposed BIDs additional activity

• Clean team - rapid response, high visibility clean team on duty seven days per week to enhance the level of cleansing and maintenance above the council's existing provision. One hour response time on most cleaning issues including litter, food waste, car parks, planters and spillages.
• Larger litter bins - larger litter bins targeting food outlets and other high litter areas.
• Mechanised sweeper - mechanised cleaner and/or additional street sweepers to enhance cleanliness throughout the shopping day, seven days a week.
• Graffiti and flyposting - graffiti and fly posting removal including from private premises. Removal of illegal graffiti and fly posting within 48 hours.
• Independent monitoring - under the BID, cleansing and other environmental quality standards will be measured independently using ENCAM's District Local Environmental Quality Survey.

Cost of BIDs additional activity

• Clean Team: £275,000 Larger
• Litter bins: £20,000
• Mechanised sweeper: £ 45,000
• Graffiti and fly posting: £25,000
• Independent monitoring: N/A

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