Bryson Recycling is facing criticism from Armagh city and Banbridge and Craigavon borough council, due to “a number of issues” relating to the waste service it provides.
The recycling company, part of the Bryson Charitable Group – a Northern Ireland social enterprise – was called before the council’s environment committee last month.
Bryson Recycling: the social enterprise has responded to issues with its service in the Armagh area
Concerns
During the meeting, concerns were raised by Councillor Thomas O’Hanlon that while he liked the concept of the kerbside recycling service, provided by Bryson, “not a day went by that he not receive a complaint about the service”.
According to the minutes, particular concern surrounded the speed of some of the refuse collection vehicles which he said was “totally unacceptable”.
There were also concerns surrounding the way that recycling boxes are returned to households, and litter falling from recycling lorries in rural areas which is still a “major problem”.
It is noted in the minutes from the meeting that the refuse workers employed by Bryson House are on ‘task and finish’ contracts.
History
The firm has had something of a chequered history with local authorities. In 2011, Bryson Recycling started legal proceedings against Banbridge district council over the local authority’s decision to take its recycling collections in-house (see letsrecycle.com story). But, in 2015 a High Court judge rejected Bryson Recycling Ltd’s challenge against the council’s decision to move services in-house (see letsrecycle.com story).
Responding to the recent issues, in a statement, Bryson Recycling said a plan has been put in place to improve the service.
Bryson said: “We put a lot of emphasis on customer service and have regular contract meetings with the council where we monitor all aspects of service delivery, including missed box rates and complaints received. These meetings are very positive with no major concerns about our service being raised.
“In February we attended a Council meeting where councillors raised some concerns about our service. We addressed these issues and have a plan in place for improvement, which included reinforcing the importance of service delivery standards to staff and introducing enhanced monitoring to ensure that standards are being met. We will continue to monitor the service closely and deal with any queries we receive immediately.”
Bryson has been delivering the kerbside box recycling service in the Armagh area since 2002.
Council
When contacted by letsrecycle.com, a spokesperson for the council said: “Councillors asked representatives from Bryson House to attend the Environmental Services Committee meeting last week following recent issues that were raised by residents. Bryson House are now putting measures in place to address these issues.”
“Our services also provide excellent value for money for councils, and these savings are then passed on the ratepayer.”
Eric Randall
Bryson Recycling
Bryson Recycling currently provides a kerbside box service to over 170,000 households in five council areas: Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council, Mid and East Antrim Borough Council, Belfast City Council, Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council and Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council.
Bryson Recycling processes 62,000 tonnes across its sites. And, the firm reports a 95% customer satisfaction rate.
‘Committed’
In November 2017, Eric Randall, director of Bryson Recycling, said: “We currently process materials collected from 60% of Northern Ireland homes and look forward to continuing to deliver a high quality service that not only helps residents recycle as much as possible but also helps the local environment, economy and community. We are committed to working with local buyers and over 80% of the materials we collect are recycled in Northern Ireland, helping to support local jobs and the economy. Our services also provide excellent value for money for councils, and these savings are then passed on the ratepayer.”
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Source: letsrecycle.com Waste Managment
