Trafford Council bosses are celebrating big improvements to their bin collections highlighted in a new report.

It was one of the findings as the seven-year One Trafford Partnership contract between the council and infrastructure provider Amey plc – which empties the bins – came up for review.

A report to the authority’s executive highlights a huge contrast from three years ago when formal complaints against Trafford council over its bin collection services were upheld by the Local Government Ombudsman, and raising doubts over the future of the contract.

Missed bin collections per month have plummeted to below 1,500 per month since March last year, thanks Amey’s investment into new IT systems which "substantively improved the transparency of service operations for managers", a report to the executive said.

That figure compares to 2,700 missed collections in March 2021. "Stage two" complaints have also fallen to below 10, most recently.

Meanwhile, the executive has agreed changes to Christmas collections with the emptying of green bins for waste food and garden refuse suspended for three working days during the festive period.

“The low proportions of green bins presented for collections over the Chrismas period, means that green bin collection is a low priority to other bin collections (at that time),” the report said.

“This type of waste collection is ‘low priority’ on the basis of minimal or no risk to the public…and there will be no disruption to the public if these services are suspended for a short period of time.”

The report said that most other Greater Manchester authorities reduce their food and garden waste collections during Christmas with lower temperatures making longer periods between collections "more palatable".

“It also allows the bin crews to have a break over Chistmas with fewer collection days moved on to Saturday and Sundays to ‘catch up’ from the bank holidays,” the report said.

The council has also tightened up a "loophole" which allowed households to ask for a larger grey bin without being charged. 

The authority’s waste minimisation team will speak to residents applying for larger bins and "waste audits" will be undertaken to ensure requests are "genuine". And there will be a charge for larger grey bins "in most circumstances".

Responding to the delivery of the report, Cllr Aiden Williams said: “If we’re honest about it, many members of the Labour group have previously had significant concerns about the partnership with Amey.

"I recall looking at options regarding the future of the contract its termination was considered.

“But I think it speaks volumes that we are now in a position, not only to embrace the continuation of the contract, but also to celebrate some of the good work that’s been achieved.”

Council leader Cllr Tom Ross added: “We’ve come a long way from the contract this administration inherited (when Labour took control of the council) in 2018. We are a long way from the contract that was created a few years before that.

“What this review seeks to do – and I have confidence it will do – is to improve customer service experience and engagement.

"It will provide us with greater transparency, we going to have improved governance and performance monitoring and we’ve got a very strong and robust decarbonisation agenda.

“We are also going to have a clearer focus on attracting a lot of capital investment into Trafford.

"I feel this is a really good deal, against a continuing context of austerity and very tight local government finances.”

Currently, it coasts £121.40 for a full set of bins (including one grey, one black, one blue, one silver kitchen caddy and either a green bin or a kerbside caddy for food waste).

The delivery and administration charge for a replacement wheelie bin (up to 240 litres) costs £35.70.

Delivery and administration charge for a replacement wheelie bin for householders receiving council tax benefit (excluding single persons reductions) or housing benefit (up to 240 litres costs £14.45, but proof is required.