Greener Ealing, Ealing Council’s waste and recycling contractor, has made a positive start to the year with collection rates going from strength to strength.

Figures for January showed that 99.97% of all collections were done right first time, rising to a 100% success rate within 24 hours.

Missed collection rates have also greatly improved since GEL took over from the previous contractor. The target is for less than 100 missed collections per 100,000. GEL has achieved this across rubbish, recycling and food waste collections every month since October.

Compared to the same time last year (October 2020-January 2021) the previous contractor failed to meet most of these targets.

Kevin O’Leary, Greener Ealing’s managing director, said: “Since our launch in July we have ploughed all our efforts into getting things right and delivering the service that the council wants for its residents. We still have some challenges but the data shows we are doing a good job and the figures continue to improve.

“Assisted collections are particularly important to get right first time and, while our error margin is small, we endeavour to hit our target and maintain it.”

A total of six missed assisted collections were reported in January, compared to 40 in January 2020 under the council’s previous contractor. The target is 0. An assisted refuse and recycling collection service is for residents who are physically unable to put out their rubbish and recycling for collection, and do not have anyone else to help them.

Last month’s collection targets were exceeded in all areas: Rubbish, recycling, food waste, garden waste, bulky collections and fly-tips. And all were a significant improvement on the previous year’s figures.

Street cleanliness also showed marked improvements with 82.27% of streets receiving an A or B rating, compared to 54.18% for the same time last year. The streets are rated by a dedicated environmental team at Ealing Council on an A-D scale, with A being the best.

And it is not just the figures that tell us the GEL workforce is doing well. The organisation has been delighted to receive lots of praise for their continued hard work, including from Litter Action Group for Ealing Residents (LAGER Can).

Its volunteers work closely with Ealing Council and GEL to ensure a clean and green borough for all to enjoy.

A LAGER Can spokesperson said: “Our group has been impressed with the attitude and hard work we have seen from GEL staff. They respond quickly to the many reports our volunteers make and we think they have made a positive difference to the borough since they launched. We are pleased to be working with them and making positive changes in the community.”

For more information about Greener Ealing visit the new website www.greenerealing.co.uk