Section 1: Feelings of Safety

Oxford City Council Talkback

Survey 3 Report

December 2008

Social Research Associates

www.sraltd.co.uk

Email: [email protected] Executive Summary

The Talkback panel is a group of residents broadly representative of the City of Oxford, who complete surveys up to four times a year on a variety of local issues.

The autumn Talkback survey asked the panel for their views on the current recycling arrangements in Oxford, as well as proposals for future options. A final section asked respondents for their views and experiences of communication with the waste and recycling team.

The survey was sent to members by post and by email, as instructed by individual members. SRA received 577 responses by the deadline, representing an overall response rate of 60%.

Results

Section 1: Current Arrangements

 Over 70% of respondents had all bins and boxes, with the exception of blue wheelie bins, which only 26% of the panel had.

 26% found the current system complex –chiefly relating to confusion over collection days and which items could be recycled.

 31% had difficulty storing their current containers, but 43% found that their current containers did not provide sufficient capacity for their waste and recycling needs.

 64% of respondents had issues with the waste and recycling service in their street, mainly relating to boxes and sacks blowing away or over spilling, or untidiness by refuse collectors.

 68% would not prefer a wheelie bin for garden waste and only 9% would be prepared to pay for one.

 Around half of respondents used a composter, but only 25% of these respondents found that it catered for all garden waste.

 Only 10-15% of respondents were dissatisfied with waste services, recycling banks, green and blue boxes and garden waste sacks. However, a number of issues were raised in relation to the frequency of collections, the state of recycling banks, capacity of and damage to boxes, and the durability of garden waste sacks.

2  Half of respondents had heard of the reminder services, but only 5% had used them. However, many panel members took the opportunity to sign up through the survey.

 The top ranked priorities were more frequent collection for refuse and recycling that could cause sanitation issues, a greater range of items that could be recycled, and more information about the service and what happens to waste and recycling materials.

Section 2: Options for the future

 The Council’s proposal for food waste collections received a mixed reception with an average rating of 6 out of 10. Most respondents supported the intention, but a number feared that there would be a sanitary threat if food waste was allowed to stand for two weeks.

 54% of respondents supported the provision of three wheelie bin for all waste and recycling needs. Respondents from North Oxford and respondents from ACORN category 1 disproportionately supported this idea.

 Respondents had varied space for wheelie bins, and 14% had no space for any at all. However, 66% of respondents had space for at least two bins.

 65% supported the idea of one bin for all dry recycling.

 78% of respondents favoured a charge of £10 for moving three bulky items. However, over one third of the panel did not answer this question. The chief reasons given against charging were the danger of fly tipping and the problems for those on low incomes, or without cars.

Section 3: Communication

 Just under half of respondents had contacted the Council in the last year about waste and recycling.

 There were no particular standout reason for this contact, but rather a combination of factors around missed collection times, problems with containers and complaints about refuse collectors.

 The vast majority of respondents contacted the Council by telephone.

 Satisfaction ratings for the way the query was dealt with averaged at 6.87 out 10.

3 Contents

Talkback 2008 Survey 3 December 2008...... 3

1.1 Background...... 4

1.2 The Panel...... 4

1.3 Methodology...... 4

1.4 Data...... 4

1.5 Areas...... 5

1.6 The Survey...... 5

Section 1: Waste and Recycling Services...... 5

Section 2: Options for the future...... 31

Section 3: Communications...... 39

Appendix A- Panel Demographics...... 43

Appendix B- Questionnaire...... 43

Appendix C- Frequencies...... 53

4 Talkback 2008 Survey 3 December 2008

1.1 Background

The Talkback panel is a group of residents broadly representative of the City of Oxford, who complete surveys up to four times a year on a variety of local issues.

1.2 The Panel

The Panel was refreshed in May 2008 prior to the survey. There are 963 members, although there are still shortages of younger respondents and it would be advisable to boost the numbers of members from different ethnic groups. The demographic details of the panel are shown in appendix A.

1.3 Methodology

The survey was sent to members by post and by email, as instructed by individual members. SRA received 577 responses by the deadline, representing an overall response rate of 60%.

Demographics details of the response are shown in appendix A.

1.4 Data

Data have been analysed and cross tabulated by key demographic details including age group, ethnicity, disability, area, sex and employment. In addition results were cross tabulated by ACORN grouping. The ACORN classification is based on a variety of demographic details and groups households into the following categories:

1. Wealthy Achievers 2. Urban Prosperity 3. Comfortably Off 4. Moderate Means 5. Hard-Pressed 6. Unclassified

Where there are significant differences shown in ACORN cross tabulations these are noted in the results. ACORN classifications for the panel are shown in Appendix A.

5 Percentages are valid percentages (i.e. the percentage calculated not including those who did not answer the question). Where differences by demographic profile are highlighted, these are statistically significant differences.

1.5 Areas

Where reference is made to the area of responses, this corresponds to the area committees run by Oxford City Council. The wards in each area are listed below.

Area Wards North Summertown, Wolvercote, St Margarets, North North-East Marston, Headington, Headington Hill & Northway, Barton and Sandhills, Quarry and Risinghurst, Churchill East St Clements, St Mary’s, Iffley Fields South-East Rose Hill and Iffley, Littlemore, Blackbird Leys, Northfield Brook Central Jericho and Osney, Carfax, Hollywell, Hinksey Park Cowley Cowley Marsh, Lye Valley, Cowley

1.6 The Survey

The autumn Talkback survey asked the panel for their views on the current recycling arrangements in Oxford, as well as proposals for future options. A final section asked respondents for their views and experiences of communication with the waste and recycling team.

6 Section 1: Waste and Recycling Services

The first section of the survey asked panel members about their experiences of the current arrangements for waste and recycling. Initially the survey asked respondents to give some detail of their living arrangements in order to contextualise their answers to subsequent questions.

Subsequent section of this report will cross-reference these details with answers given to the survey. Any statistically significant differences are noted in the commentary.

What type of property do you live in?

2.3% 2.1% 1.2%

House Flat Bungalow Shared house Other

7 Tenure: Do you..

11.7% 6.4% 4.4%

Own your house Rent from a private Rent from the Other landlord Council/Housing Association

How many occupants live in your property?

Adults:

12.1% 7.8% 2.8%

1 2 3 4 or more Not given

8 Children:

38.8% 38.1%

9.7% 10.1%

2.1% 1.2%

0 1 2 3 4 or more Not given

What bins do you currently have?

26.4% Garden Waste Sack 73.6%

24.3% Blue Box 75.7%

15.7% Green Box 84.3%

73.8% Blue Wheelie Bin 26.2%

8.4% Green Wheelie Bin 91.6%

Yes No The majority of the panel had all bins and boxes, with the exception of the blue wheelie bin, which only 26.5% of respondents had (the Council charge for this bin). Those in the Central (85.2%) and Cowley (86.5%) area were significantly less likely to have a blue wheelie bin than other areas.

9 The second part of this section asked panel members to give their experiences of the current recycling system.

Do you find the current system complex?

Yes, 26.4%

No, 73.6%

26.4% of the panel found the current system complex and this did not vary significantly by demographic profile.

If yes, why do you find the current system complex?

The majority of the panel found two main aspects of the recycling system to be complicated. Firstly, different days for collection of different material meant that several respondents either have trouble remembering or completely forget to put out their recycling:

“ Because it is a fortnightly collection, I constantly have to refer to your timetable, which I don't always have to hand, to find out what combination of boxes, sacks and compost bag is applicable.”

Secondly, there was confusion over what materials could go in what box. For some this was a case of understanding the current system. However, others appeared to understand the system, but wondered about the logic behind it. The distinction between different types of paper and plastic was a particular bugbear. For example:

“There seems to be no logic to putting plastic bottles with cardboard and tins.”

10 “ Conflicting advice (are yoghurt pots recyclable or not?) Distinguishing types e.g. kinds of paper waste.”

“The distinction between types of paper - office, magazines, brochures, directories, junk mail etc - is not self-evident.”

“ I don't mind it being complex - I think it is very important to recycle - but distinguishing between suitable and unsuitable plastics (also for non-collected recycling going to the recycling centre) is difficult.”

Finally, some respondents questioned why they had to separate their recycling for two main reasons. Firstly, some respondents had experience of ‘one-box’ recycling:

“Having to separate recycling - I have lived in other areas where all recycling goes into one bin.”

Secondly, some respondents felt that the refuse collectors were not careful enough when collecting their recycling:

“ I see the bin men tip all the recycled material I separate into the same bin. Why segregate if this is the case?”

Do you find it difficult to store all the containers you currently have for waste and recycling?

Yes, 31.2%

No, 68.8%

11 31.2% of respondents found it difficult to store their waste and recycling containers— this remained relatively consistent across the demographic profile of respondents, and also did not vary significantly by type of house or the number of occupants.

Do the containers that you currently have provide you with enough room your waste and recycling needs?

No, 43.6%

Yes, 56.4%

88.9% of private sector tenants felt that they didn’t have enough room in their containers for their waste and recycling needs, indicating that many private sector landlords may not be providing sufficient receptacles. 64.7% of full-time students (many of whom are private sector tenants) also complained that they could not fit their recycling into the bins provided.

If no, please explain why.

The main concern of respondents was the capacity to recycle plastic. Many respondents found that they did not have room in their blue box, and several objected to paying for a blue wheelie bin:

“Plastic containers do not flatten easily so boxes overflow.”

“ Because we are now in the pattern of recycling more plastic, we often run out of room in our small blue box (and therefore have to 'bin' containers we could be

12 recycling). We are thinking about getting a blue wheelie bin - but they take up a lot of room.”

“Blue boxes (2) fill up. Can't afford (£20 for new bin). (Should be free like the green wheelie bin).”

“ I have 3 blue boxes and still not enough room but refuse to pay £20 for a blue wheelie.”

There were two other problems repeatedly highlighted. Firstly, respondents noted that their capacity varied according to season –for example in summer there was a greater need for container to hold garden waste. There was also a problem around holiday times:

“In summer the green garden bag is not big enough, especially for woody prunings.”

“Can be difficult to manage over a holiday if gap becomes a month.”

“MOSTLY it's fine, there are some weeks when one or other of the containers is full to bursting (e.g. after a birthday)”

Finally, some respondents had problems keeping their bins from week to week:

“I used to have 2 green and 2 blue boxes but every time I do this, either neighbours nick them or waste collectors take them back!”

13 How would you rate your current understanding of what goes into which container?

40.4% 40.2%

3.8% 1.9%

Very good Quite good Average Not very good Poor

Over 80% of the panel rated their understanding of the current arrangements for waste and recycling as ‘quite’ or ‘very’ good. Private sector tenants’ (55.6%) were significantly more likely to rate their understanding as ‘very good’, compared to those from other tenures.

However, it should be noted that other questions highlighted areas of confusion for many of the panel, and that whilst their self-reported understanding was good, there were still many areas which were unclear to respondents.

14 Are there any issues with waste and recycling on the street you live on (e.g. the lids blue recycling bins or garden sacks blowing away in the wind etc.)

No, 36.5%

Yes, 63.5%

People living in their own house (66.7%) were significantly more likely to feel that there were issues with the waste and recycling collection in their street compared to those in shared houses (36.4%). Respondents from BME communities were also significantly less likely to feel there was a problem in their street compared to white respondents.

If yes, please explain what these are:

In general there were three main issues raised in relation to this question. Firstly, several problems were noted due to the lightweight nature of garden sacks:

“Green sacks are always blowing across gardens and owners trying to find them.”

“I have lost 4 garden waste sacks in 2 years, costing me £36. The garden waste is collected every second Friday. When I get home - around 10p.m- I find my 2 waste sacks lying on the open forecourt in front of my house. The bin collectors do not stuff the bags into the available waste bin so they blow away.”

Secondly, there were some problems with recycling boxes. In particular it was noted that the lids were blown away or misplaced over time, and as a consequence lightweight material could escape:

15 “Blue box lid does blow off. Recycling waste gets blown about; or scattered by waste collectors; or even blown to me from my neighbours!”

“ Some people can't fit lids on the recycling boxes, so empty plastic bottles and cardboard end up all over the street on collection day. Some people don't know which bins to put out when - they end up with rubbish in their garden for a week.”

Finally, respondents noted that there was a problem with the mess created by waste and recycling collection, and several people felt that the refuse collectors did not tidy up after themselves. In addition there were some complaints that boxes and bins were not returned to the correct addresses:

“Dene Road a complete mess on bin day, garden sacks on road, paper and plastic blowing about. Need a person to follow and tidy.”

“If the operatives used 'common sense' and replaced lids on boxes and green bags put inside i.e. an emptied container then we would end up with the right container/bag that we had left out.”

However, there was also some recognition that the refuse collectors had a difficult job in this respect and that the elements often conspired against an orderly collection:

“Things get blown away because it is windy!! Bin men cannot always secure empty boxes/sacks in positions where they are not affected by the wind.”

16 Would you prefer to put your garden waste in a wheelie bin rather than a sack as you currently do?

Yes, 32.5%

No, 67.5%

Only 32.5% favoured this option. Respondents renting from the Council or a Housing Association (51.8%) were significantly more likely than average to want a wheelie bin.

Would you be prepared to rent a wheelie bin (at around £35) for garden waste?

Yes, 8.8%

No, 91.2%

Respondents from the panel did not favour paying a rental charge for a wheelie bin for garden waste. This did not vary significantly by demographic group.

17 Do you use a home composter?

Yes, 49.6%

No, 50.4%

Almost exactly half of the panel used a home composter –those in ACORN group 5 (37%) were significantly less likely than other groups to use one.

If yes does it cater for all your garden waste?

Yes, 24.7%

No, 75.3%

18 Of those who responded to this question (308 respondents), only 24.7% found that a composter took care of all their garden waste. This did not vary significantly across demographic groups.

Are there any materials you are unsure of how to recycle?

Yes, 49.5%

No, 50.5%

Nearly half of the panel were unsure whether or how to recycle some items. Tenants in Council or Housing Association properties (73.2%) were significantly more likely than those in other tenures to feel that they knew how to recycle all items.

If yes, please explain why.

Several items were highlighted in this section including:

 Batteries  Old paint  Car batteries  Magazines and glossy Junk mail  Electrical goods  Kitchen waste (e.g. peelings)  Cartons (e.g. for fruit juice)  Plastic bags  Polystyrene

19  Tetrapacks

In addition there was general confusion over different types of plastics. For example:

“Some clear plastic containers and some white plastic pots have no marking about recycling”

“Some food-contaminated containers are not OK to recycle, but it is not always clear on the packaging if this is the case. Some companies are better at stating this than others.”

The range of items raised in this section indicated a considerable variance in knowledge of recycling. Equally, respondents were unsure whether their knowledge was in fact true or ‘myth’:

“We are constantly puzzled by soft plastics and plastic paper cartons. The situation is not helped by the fact that the daughter in Sydney and the friend in the US whose apartment we occasionally use have completely different categories.”

“What counts as 'soft plastic' and can aluminium foil etc go with tins?”

“With certain types of plastic I am uncertain whether they should go in the blue bin.”

20 How would you rate you level of satisfaction with each of the following? Refuse Service: 42.6%

5.0% 5.7%

Very satisfied Quite satisfied Average Quite dissatisfied Very dissatisfied satisfaction

10.7 % of the panel were dissatisfied with the refuse service. These results did not vary significantly by demographic profile.

Recycling Banks

7.7% 4.9%

21 12.6% of the panel were dissatisfied with the recycling banks in the city. These results did not vary significantly by demographic profile.

Blue Box:

24.9% 21.2%

8.3% 5.0%

Despite the issues with the blue box raised previously in the survey, only 13.3% of respondents were dissatisfied with the blue box service. Of these responses, those age 55-64 (36.3%) were significantly more likely to be rate themselves ‘very satisfied’ with the service compared to other age groups.

22 Green Box:

6.7% 2.9%

Less than 10% of the panel were dissatisfied with the green box service. These results did not vary significantly by demographic profile.

Garden Waste Sack:

7.5% 5.2%

23 12.7% of respondents rated themselves as dissatisfied with green waste sacks and the service they received related to these items. 30.8% of respondents in ACORN category 1 considered themselves ‘quite’ or ‘very’ dissatisfied with service –a significantly higher percentage than other groups.

39.6% of those who were retired considered themselves ‘very satisfied’ with this service, which was a higher percentage than any other employment group.

If you have experienced any issues with the services above, please give details.

The chief complaints with regard to the refuse service related to the regularity of collections. A part of this group of complaints were from residents who noted that their bins were sometimes not emptied on designated days, indicating that information regarding collection may not be filtering through to all:

“ Fortnightly is NOT enough to collect this type of waste. They are often full to overflowing. Weekly would be better.”

“Sometimes they just don't collect the bins and I'm not sure why.”

Respondents noted several improvements that could be made to the recycling banks in the City. The main problem for most users was the condition of these areas, in particular it was felt that skips needed to emptied more often and traffic controlled better, especially at busy times such as weekends:

“Red Bridge recycling bank can be chaotic at the weekend - could 'bays' be marked for cars to stop in?”

“I think the recycling bank at Tesco is not emptied frequently enough so it becomes very dirty - putting people off.”

“ Recycling bank at Ferry Centre, Summertown is occasionally overflowing - very popular so needs to be emptied frequently.”

Another point raised in connection with recycling banks was the capacity to recycle certain items and, moreover, the number of actual banks at certain points in the City. This was a particular problem for those with no car, but equally people with a car noted that it was counter productive if they had to drive a long way to recycle:

“ Recycling banks - in Somerfield car park, we have a plastic pack bank which is excellent but I get a lot of plastic film packaging which I have occasionally taken down to Red Bridge waste unit - but that's not good if I make a special journey. Can we have a plastic film packaging unit too - Headington car park?”

“Not enough recycling banks. You had them in the Park-ride at Thornhill. Where have they gone?”

24 “The recycling bank near student accommodation in Little Oxford is often overflowing (especially paper). The little litterbin is insufficient and means much rubbish strewn everywhere.”

Issues related to the green and blue boxes can be grouped together as most comments related to the capacity of the boxes, the number of items that could be recycled, and problems relating to collection (e.g. losing the lids, boxes blowing away etc.):

“Blue boxes are not big enough (the majority of recycled material goes in here) and untidy (box lids being thrown about by collectors and blowing off in the wind).”

“I feel strongly that more plastic should be recycled - bottles alone are not enough.”

“The boxes are pathetically small for recyclable stuff.”

The comments relating to green waste sacks were again specific to problems of capacity for those with larger gardens and ‘wear and tear’ on the sacks

“ Garden waste sack - not large enough for summer/autumn waste from a large garden in a 2 week collection cycle. Garden waste collectors have been reluctant to take heavy/wet/smelly sacks.”

“Garden waste sacks are not strong enough; all mine have the bottom worn through as they are dragged along the ground.”

“Lost the green sack!”

“On occasions when I have rung up to ask for additional green garden bags I have been told there would be an additional charge. I cannot understand why this should be the case.”

Finally a number of respondents noted a positive reaction to these services, reflecting the quantitative results shown previously:

“I have often found the people who collect the waste very helpful - my compliments to them!”

“Actually I had a good experience. I had just had a second baby when recycling was introduced. The dustbin men understood I needed a bigger green wheelie bin and brought me one the same day. Thank you.”

25 Have you heard of the reminder services?

49.6% Text 50.4%

51.2% Email 48.8%

Yes No Roughly half of respondents had heard of the reminder services. Those who were self- employed were significantly more likely to have heard of the text service (77.4%), but there were no other differences by demographic profile.

Have you used the reminder services?

94.6% Email 5.4%

No Yes

94.3% Text 5.7%

26 Only a small percentage of the panel had used either service and due to the small numbers involved there were no significant differences.

If you used either reminder service, how would you rate it?

12.1% Poor 5.9%

12.1% Average 14.7%

27.3% Good 26.5%

48.5% Excellent 52.9%

Email Text

As only 34 (email) and 33 (text) respondents had used the reminder services it was not appropriate to break these results down any further. However, the survey also asked respondents whether they would like to be alerted by email or text to remind them when their recycling is due to be collected and many of the panel supplied their details. These have been passed on to the Council.

27 Do you have any suggestion to improve the waste and recycling service? Please rank your suggestions with 1 being the most important and 3 being the least important.

There were a wide range of suggestions made to this question and these are summarised below. It should be noted that totals are approximate, as this was a qualitative rather than quantitative question that allowed respondents to make their own suggestions. Consequently there was some overlap between many of the issues raised. However, as general indication, the following were the most frequently cited priorities:

Rank 1:

1. Weekly collection (66 comments). This was marginally the popular measure, largely justified on the ground of public sanitation.

2. More items to recycle - particularly plastics (65 comments). People were keen to see the range of products that could be recycled expanded, particularly plastics.

“The Council should definitely improve the materials that can be recycled - e.g. film, aluminium, other kinds of plastic, medicines, plastic bags (especially!) - and put more containers for these in the street. In other countries, the recycling system works a lot better, I am afraid.”

“Offer recycling to commercial premises”.

“ Possibly more street collection points as in parts of London, Portsmouth on the continent would be helpful and it might also be cheaper for the Council?”

3. Better information (28 comments). This covered several different areas, including collection times and information on what is to go in which bin. Many respondents were also keen to get feedback on what happens to recycling to reassure them that their efforts were worthwhile.

“Large sticky labels/pictures on bins as a reminder to users of what goes in them.”

4. Food waste collection (25 comments). Several respondents liked the idea of such a collection, but most were keen to stress that they felt food should be collected weekly

“Collecting food waste fortnightly is not enough. People cannot store food waste for so long.”

5. Collection issues and tidiness (17 comments). Respondents were keen to ensure that refuse collectors left their street tidy after their visit and returned containers in- tact.

28 “Ask the collectors to pick up anything they drop in street when emptying containers”

6. One box recycling (10 comments). Some respondents felt that a one-box system be easier and encourage more people to recycle to more items.

“Change system so you can put all recycling in a box including batteries, foil, textiles, shoes and anything else that cannot be put in the box at the moment.”

7. Free blue wheelie bins- (10 comments). Some respondents felt that their existing boxes were too small for their recycling needs, but did not want to pay for a replacement wheelie bin.

“Abandon boxes. Issue, free, large recycling bins to all residents, preferably coloured green.”

“Blue wheelie bins for FREE.”

Rank 2:

1. More items to recycle –especially plastics and tetrapacks (50 comments). As before respondents wanted a wider range of items included in kerbside recycling services:

“Provide kerbside collection of plastic bags and shredded paper.”

“Recycle all plastic (I understand that neighbouring district councils already do this)”

2. Better information (29 comments). Again as before there were calls for better information about collections and items that could be recycled. Suggestions included stickers for bins and boxes, or lists to stick on the fridge, as well as information on the journey of recycled material:

“ Presently any plastics I cannot recycle kerbside I take to Redbridge but am not entirely sure what I should be taking and if I am doing any good at all. Does it all get shipped to China & burned?”

3. Refuse collection efficiency (21 comments). Again a number of respondents wanted to ensure that collectors were conscientious in cleaning up the street of stray waste:

“Green waste sacks to be left securely outside people's homes, either in, or under, the green wheelie bins or a recycling box.”

“Place bins back in garden after collection.”

29 4. More wheelie bins (15 comments). Free wheelie bins were supported by some respondents who had trouble with the capacity of their boxes:

“Larger bottle boxes or bins. I am not an alcoholic but the current ones are useless. Maybe also more bottle banks.”

5. More recycling centres (12 comments). A number of people noted the possibility for neighbourhood stations to reduce the need to travel:

“ Alternatively, in above conditions, where people can't easily store waste, a neighbourhood collection point should be set up for depositing waste/recycling items within a short walk of all houses.”

“Put public recycling bins (like in car parks) on all the estates. I would be happy to walk with my recyclables, but not to go in a car. Then perhaps you could do away with some collections.”

6. Enforcement and Education (12 comments). Finally, a number of people favour a combination of enforcement and education in order to change some residents attitude to recycling:

“Ways to persuade people not to create so much rubbish that their bins overflow”

“Get people to buy into targets on an individual level, perhaps by offering incentives?”

“More effort should be made to help students understand importance of recycling”

However it should be noted that others were against enforcement:

“Don't frighten us with threats of fines if we get this amazingly complex system wrong. Most of us are doing our best.”

Rank 3

In the third priority most of the same issues were raised. Below is list of their approximate popularity:

1. Recycle more items (18 comments) 2. Better information (17 comments) 3. Free wheelie bins (13 comments) 4. Enforcement and education (11 comments) 5. Refuse collection efficiency (10 comments) 6. More frequent collections (6 comments) 7. More (and cleaner) recycling centres (5 comments)

30 Summary of Section 1

 Over 70% of respondents had all bins and boxes, with the exception of blue wheelie bins, which only 26% of the panel had.

 26% found the current system complex –chiefly relating to confusion over collection days and which items could be recycled.

 31% had difficulty storing their current containers, but 43% found that their current containers did not provide sufficient capacity for their waste and recycling needs.

 64% of respondents had issues with the waste and recycling service in their street, mainly relating to boxes and sacks blowing away or over spilling, or untidiness by refuse collectors.

 68% would not prefer a wheelie bin for garden waste and only 9% would be prepared to pay for one.

 Around half of respondents used a composter, but only 25% of these respondents found that it catered for all garden waste.

 Only 10-15% of respondents were dissatisfied with waste services, recycling banks, green and blue boxes and garden waste sacks. However, a number of issues were raised in relation to the frequency of collections, the state of recycling banks, capacity of and damage to boxes, and the durability of garden waste sacks.

 Half of respondents had heard of the reminder services, but only 5% had used them. However, many panel members took the opportunity to sign up through the survey.

 The top ranked priorities for respondents were more frequent collection for refuse and recycling that could cause sanitation issues, a greater range of items that could be recycled, and more information about the service and what happens to waste and recycling materials.

31 Section 2: Options for the future

The survey provided details of the Council’s proposal for future food waste collection. The details of this proposal can be seen on the original survey included as Appendix B. Respondents were asked to rate this proposal as indicated below:

Please indicate what you think of this proposal on a scale of 1-10, where 1 is poor and 10 is excellent

10 18.5%

9 8.3%

8 14.5%

7 11.2%

6 8.4%

5 11.8%

4 4.9%

3 5.1%

2 3.9%

1 13.4%

This question provoked a wide range of ratings and due to the wide range of rating this did not vary significantly by demographic profile or area. The average rating was 6 out of 10.

Do you have any further comments on this proposal?

In general there were three sets of comments left about the Councils’ proposal. Firstly a significant group of people were concerned about their food waste waiting for two weeks, indicating either they would not include their food waste with waste materials on alternate weeks. The chief concern about the proposal was the sanitary impact of storing waste food this amount of time:

“I compost all my fresh uncooked food waste. I would prefer what little cooked food waste i have to be collected weekly.”

32 “I worry about the smell/rodent risk, with food hanging around long term.”

“It could be a bit of a problem in the summer in hot weather if collected fortnightly. Can you not do it weekly in the summer months?”

“Not convinced this is the best solution as it would encourage more rats. This has been a worrying year regarding rats - they have been a big problem in Sandhills this year and have caused me a great deal of stress.”

Critics also felt that individuals should be encouraged to cease wasting food as much as possible:

“ I feel people need to learn not to waste so much food. Education rather than collection.”

“In principle composting of food waste is a good idea; but food waste should also be discouraged. I would be against yet another wheelie bin for food waste specifically.”

Secondly a number of respondents felt that the proposal was a good compromise in lieu of the expense of a weekly collection:

“I think this is possibly the best that can be done, other than educating the public on wasting less food. I only put chicken bones in the bin”

Thirdly, some respondents wholeheartedly supported the plan:

“This is what I referred to earlier with 'organic' waste. It would be great to collect food waste for composting purposes.”

“Good proposal for restaurants and shops. We try not to waste food and compost all vegetables, fruit etc.”

33 Would you support the provision of three wheelie bins?

No, 46.4

Yes, 53.6

Just over half of respondents supported the proposal.

80% of respondents whose property was ACORN category 1 supported the provision of three wheelie bins –significantly higher than less affluent groups. 64.8% of residents in the North area supported this provision, which was significantly higher than other areas. Households with 3 or more adult or three or more children were also significantly more likely to want three bins.

34 How many standard size wheelie bins would you have space to store?

20.3% 19.7%

13.6% 14.5%

0 wheelie bins 1 wheelie bin 2 wheelie bins 3 wheelie bins More than 3 wheelie bins

The results from this question revealed varied circumstances amongst respondents, but 66% of respondents would have space for at least two wheelie bins.

Respondents renting from private landlords were significantly more likely to not have space for any wheelie bins, as were residents in flats.

35 Would you prefer to have one wheelie bin for all your dry recycling (paper, glass, cardboard, tins and plastic bottles) rather than various boxes?

I don't mind, 15.2%

No, 19.5% Yes, 65.3%

The majority of the panel supported this idea.

Residents in the East of the City (54%) were the least likely to support this idea, whilst residents in the South East (75%) were the most likely to support it.

If no, please explain why.

Three key concerns emerged in response to this idea. Firstly, respondents worried whether one bin would have the capacity for all their recycling needs:

“Blue wheelie bin often very full so wouldn't have enough capacity for all dry recycling materials.”

Secondly, some respondents want assurance that all materials would be recycled rather than put in landfill.

“BUT how do you sort this? I would want evidence that OCC deals with this recycling responsibly.”

Thirdly, a number of occupants of terraced houses or flats noted that they didn’t have the space for wheelie bins, only boxes:

36 “I like the idea of a single container for all dry materials, but if it was a wheelie bin, I just would not have room for it.”

“ Can't get wheelie bin through house. No space to store at front and would look horrible.”

If we were to charge for collection of bulky items, how much would you be prepared to pay?

Up to three items for £10 Up to three items for £15 Up to three items for over £20

221 (38%) respondents did not answer this question, but the majority of those that did supported the cheapest option. These results did not very significantly by demographic profile.

Any further comments?

Generally responses could be grouped into various categories. Some respondents supported the idea with some reservations:

“Great idea. I am more than happy to pay but suspect £15 might be too much for some. (See under 16 earlier). Use the Web and email more so I don't have to phone

37 etc to arrange. I would send a request on the web page and you send me an email telling me when you can do it. Paperless and saves postage.”

Some worried that some items would be more difficult to transport than others and as a consequence should be charged differentially:

“£10 seems too much in case it's only one item. I would not pay this.”

“Categorise items in order of sizes and decide the charge? e.g. larger items such as a sofa can be more expensive to be taken away than smaller items such as chairs.”

Others felt that they would not be able to afford the collection charges, or that the charge penalised the poor and those without a car:

“Am on low income. Generally try to get stuff I do not want to OCVA or charity shops. Would prefer bulky item collection to remain free.”

“But not everyone can afford this and maybe those who can't are also those without cars, so are got both ways?”

Finally, by far the greatest number of comments was from those concerned by the prospect of people avoiding the charge by fly tipping:

“Although I would personally be happy to pay - I believe this should be kept as a free service because of the greater risk of fly-tipping.”

 The Council’s proposal for food waste collections received a mixed reception with an average rating of 6 out of 10. Most respondents supported the intention, but a number feared that there would be a sanitary threat if food waste was allowed to stand for two weeks.

 54% of respondents supported the provision of three wheelie bin for all waste and recycling needs. Respondents from North Oxford and respondents from ACORN category 1 disproportionately supported this idea.

 Respondents had varied space for wheelie bins, and 14% had no space for any at all. However, 66% of respondents had space for at least two bins.

 65% supported the idea of one bin for all dry recycling.

 78% of respondents favoured a charge of £10 for moving three bulky items. However, over one third of the panel did not answer this question. The chief reasons given against charging were the danger of fly tipping and the problems for those on a low income or without cars.

39 Section 3: Communications

Have you contacted us about waste or recycling in the last 12 months?

Yes, 46.9%

No, 53.1%

Just under half of the panel had contacted the Council about waste or recycling in the last 12 months, but these responses did not differ significantly by demographic profile.

If yes what was the query about?

20.9% 17.8% 15.7%

Change of Missed collection Issues in your Change of Other collection date date street container

40 Responses indicated a wide range of queries, highlight by the 39% who listed ‘other’ as their main reason for contacting the Council.

‘Other’ reasons included:

“ Checking which items could be recycled (I think it was whether the lids of plastic bottles could go in with the bottles themselves).”

“Further explanation of the new, now current, collection system. We were changing from Friday to Monday and I wasn't sure whether we would have a gap of 10 days or 3 days.”

“ I was complaining about the fact that my boxes always disappeared after the collection services (they were misplaced).”

“Firstly, explanation for changes from boxes to bins in flats. Secondly, insects and smells from uncollected food. Thirdly, get green bags for garden waste - found out that no longer free.”

How did you contact us?

10.7% 4.0% 2.7% 1.6%

Telephone Email Letter In person Other

The huge majority of respondents had contacted the contacted the Council by telephone.

41 How would you rate the way that the query was dealt with on a scale of 1-10, where 1 is poor and 10 is excellent

10 23.9%

9 12.4%

8 21.2%

7 5.9%

6 6.2%

5 8.0%

4 4.4%

3 4.4%

2 3.7%

1 9.9%

The mean rating for the way in which the query was dealt with was 6.87 out of ten. 277 respondents completed this question.

 Just under half of respondents had contacted the Council in the last year about waste and recycling.  There were no particular standout reason for this contact, but rather a combination of factors around missed collection times, problems with containers and complaints about refuse collectors.  The vast majority of respondents contacted the Council by telephone.  Satisfaction ratings for the way the query was dealt with averaged at 6.87 out 10.

43 Appendix A- Panel Demographics

Survey 3 Age Range Panel % Target % 2008 % 17-24 9 26 3.8 25-34 17 21 11 35-44 22 16 18.9 45-54 15 12 18.7 55-64 19 9 25.6 65+ 17 16 22 TOTAL 100 100

Survey 3 Area Panel % Target % 2008 % Central 15 17 12.3 Cowley 12 12 12 East 12 13 8.8 North 20 17 21.7 North East 28 25 29.1 South East 14 16 16.2 TOTAL 100 100

Survey 3 Sex Panel % Target % 2008 % Male 43 49 42.5 Female 57 51 57.5 TOTAL 100 100

Survey 3 Ethnicity Panel % Target % 2008 % White 90 87 93.1 Asian/Asian British 4 5 1.9 Black/ Black British 3 3 1.3 Mixed 2 3 1.7 Other 2 3 1.9 TOTAL 100 100

44 Survey 3 Economic Status Panel % Target % 2008 % Employee full-time 45 37 42.1 Employee part-time 13 10 14 Self employed 8 6 7.1 Full time student 8 26 4.2 Retired 18 9 23.8 Permanently sick/disabled 2 3 0.7 Looking after the home 3 4 4.2 Other 2 3 2.2 Unemployed and available for work 2 2 1.6 TOTAL 100 100

Acorn Panel Rating % 1 6 2 45 3 27 4 6 5 12 6 3

45 Appendix B- Questionnaire

46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 Appendix C- Frequencies

What type of property do you live in?

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Valid House 465 80.6 82.2 Flat 69 12.0 12.2 Bungalow 13 2.3 2.3 Shared house 12 2.1 2.1 Other (please specify) 7 1.2 1.2 Total 566 98.1 100.0 Missing System 11 1.9 Total 577 100.0

Do you…

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Valid Own your house 438 75.9 77.5 Rent from a private landlord 36 6.2 6.4 Rent from the Council/Housing 66 11.4 11.7 Association Other (please specify) 25 4.3 4.4 Total 565 97.9 100.0 Missing System 12 2.1 Total 577 100.0

What bins do you currently have? Green wheelie bin

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Valid No 47 8.1 8.4 Yes 512 88.7 91.6 Total 559 96.9 100.0 Missing System 18 3.1 Total 577 100.0

54 What bins do you currently have? Blue wheelie bin

What bins do you currently have? Blue box

What bins do you currently have? Green box

What bins do you currently have? Garden Waste sack

55 Do you find the current system complex?

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Valid Yes 144 25.0 26.4 No 401 69.5 73.6 Total 545 94.5 100.0 Missing System 32 5.5 Total 577 100.0

Do you find it difficult to store all the containers you currently have for waste and recycling?

Do the containers that you currently have provide you with enough room for your waste and recycling needs?

How would you rate your understanding of what goes into which containers?

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Valid Very good 226 39.2 40.4 Quite good 225 39.0 40.2 Average 77 13.3 13.8 Not very good 21 3.6 3.8 Poor 11 1.9 2.0 Total 560 97.1 100.0 Missing System 17 2.9 Total 577 100.0

56 Are there any issues with waste and recycling on the street that you live on?

Would you prefer to put your garden waste in a wheelie bin rather than a sack as you currently do?

In order to introduce a wheelie bin for garden waste we may need to charge for the rental of the bin. Would you support this?

Do you use a home composter?

57 If YES, does it cater for all your garden waste?

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Yes 76 13.2 22.0 No 232 40.2 67.2 Total 345 59.8 100.0 Missing System 269 40.2 Total 577 100.0

Are there any materials you are unsure of how to recycle?

How would you rate your level of satisfaction with each of the following? Refuse Collection

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Valid Very satisfied 135 28.3 29.5 Quite satisfied 195 40.9 42.6 Average satisfaction 79 16.6 17.2 Quite dissatisfied 23 4.8 5.0 Very dissatisfied 26 5.5 5.7 Total 458 96.0 100.0 Missing System 19 4.0 Total 477 100.0

How would you rate your level of satisfaction with each of the following? Recycling Banks

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Valid Very satisfied 82 17.2 19.7 Quite satisfied 172 36.1 41.3 Average satisfaction 110 23.1 26.4 Quite dissatisfied 32 6.7 7.7 Very dissatisfied 20 4.2 4.8 Total 416 87.2 100.0 Missing System 61 12.8 Total 477 100.0

How would you rate your level of satisfaction with each of the following? Blue box

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Valid Very satisfied 126 21.8 23.9

58 Quite satisfied 205 35.5 38.9 Average satisfaction 107 18.5 20.3 Quite dissatisfied 42 7.3 8.0 Very dissatisfied 25 4.3 4.7 Not applicable 22 3.8 4.2 Total 527 91.3 100.0 Missing System 50 8.7 Total 577 100.0

How would you rate your level of satisfaction with each of the following? Green box

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Valid Very satisfied 151 26.2 28.4 Quite satisfied 214 37.1 40.2 Average satisfaction 108 18.7 20.3 Quite dissatisfied 35 6.1 6.6 Very dissatisfied 15 2.6 2.8 Not applicable 9 1.6 1.7 Total 532 92.2 100.0 Missing System 45 7.8 Total 577 100.0

59 How would you rate your level of satisfaction with each of the following? Green waste sack

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Valid Very satisfied 133 23.1 26.0 Quite satisfied 189 32.8 36.9 Average satisfaction 111 19.2 21.7 Quite dissatisfied 37 6.4 7.2 Very dissatisfied 26 4.5 5.1 Not applicable 16 2.8 3.1 Total 512 88.7 100.0 Missing System 65 11.3 Total 577 100.0

Would you like to sign up for the weekly email service?

Have you heard of the service? Email

Have you heard of the service? Text

60 Have you used the service? Email

Have you used the service? Text

If you have used the email service, how would you rate it?

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Excellent 18 3.1 53 Good 9 1.6 26 Average 5 .9 15 Poor 2 .3 5 Total 34 11.8 100.0 Missing System 543 88.2 Total 577 100.0

If you have used the text service, how would you rate it?

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Valid Excellent 16 2.8 48.5 Good 9 1.6 27.3 Average 4 .7 12.1 Poor 4 .7 12.1 Total 33 5.7 100.0 Missing System 544 94.3 Total 577 100.0

61 Please indicate what you think of this proposal on the scale below, with 1 being poor and 10 excellent

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Valid 1 68 11.8 13.4 2 20 3.5 3.9 3 26 4.5 5.1 4 25 4.3 4.9 5 60 10.4 11.8 6 43 7.5 8.4 7 57 9.9 11.2 8 74 12.8 14.5 9 42 7.3 8.3 10 94 16.3 18.5 Total 509 88.2 100.0 Missing System 68 11.8 Total 577 100.0

For those residents that have sufficient storage space we are currently considering a proposal to introduce 3 wheelie bins..

The wheelie bins that we provide are 240 litres, (this is our standard size) Would you have sufficient space to store:

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Valid 0 wheelie bins 71 12.3 13.6 1 wheelie bin 106 18.4 20.3 2 wheelie bins 103 17.9 19.7 3 wheelie bins 167 28.9 31.9 More than 3 wheelie bins 76 13.2 14.5 Total 523 90.6 100.0 Missing System 54 9.4 Total 577 100.0

62 We are exploring the idea of providing one wheelie bin for all your dry recycling materials. Would you support this?

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Valid Yes 361 62.6 65.3 No 108 18.7 19.5 I don't mind 84 14.6 15.2 Total 553 95.8 100.0 Missing System 24 4.2 Total 577 100.0

How much would you be prepared to pay?

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Valid Up to three items for £10 276 47.8 77.5 Up to three items for £15 59 10.2 16.6 Up to three items for over £20 21 3.6 5.9 Total 356 61.7 100.0 Missing System 221 38.3 Total 577 100.0

Have you contacted us about the Waste & Recycling Service in the last 12 months?

63 What was the query about: Change of collections dates

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Valid Yes 18 3.1 100.0 Missing System 559 96.9 Total 577 100.0

What was the query about: Missed collection date

What was the query about: Issues in your street e.g. rubbish falling out of recycling boxes

What was the query about: To change your container(s)

What was the query about: Other (please explain)

Telephone [General Question: How did you contact us?]

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Valid 1 243 42.1 100.0 Missing System 334 57.9 Total 577 100.0

Email [General Question: How did you contact us?]

Frequency Percent Valid Percent

64 Valid 1 32 5.5 100.0 Missing System 545 94.5 Total 577 100.0

Letter [General Question: How did you contact us?]

In person [General Question: How did you contact us?]

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Valid 1 5 .9 100.0 Missing System 572 99.1 Total 577 100.0

65 How would you rate the way your query was dealt with?

Cumulative Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent Valid 1 27 4.7 9.9 9.9 2 10 1.7 3.7 13.6 3 12 2.1 4.4 17.9 4 12 2.1 4.4 22.3 5 22 3.8 8.1 30.4 6 17 2.9 6.2 36.6 7 16 2.8 5.9 42.5 8 58 10.1 21.2 63.7 9 1 .2 .4 64.1 9 33 5.7 12.1 76.2 10 65 11.3 23.8 100.0 Total 273 47.3 100.0 Missing 99999999 54 9.4 System 250 43.3 Total 304 52.7 Total 577 100.0