New refuse collection service on its way to Kettering and Corby next month

Collection days will remain as they are at first but could change come the summer.

From February 1 residents in the two towns will have their weekly household waste collected by an in-house shared service provided by their borough councils.

The move sees Corby merge with Kettering’s existing in-house service and end its 10-year contract with Kier. The joint service will also include recycling, as well as grounds maintenance and street cleansing services.

Speaking at the Corby overview and scrutiny meeting last night (Jan 8) officer Iain Smith said: “ As part of the new service we will redesign all the routes and make sure it works in most efficient way possible.

“Collection days may change and the sequence of which bins are collected and when.

“Between now and April we will be carrying out the modelling and we will implement a new remodelled service from about May.”

The officer said the new service would look at ways to serve hard-to-access areas and it could also lead to a better trade collection service for Corby business along the lines of what is currently offered in Kettering.

It will also introduce real-time cab technology which means that customer service can have quicker contact with refuse crews in instances of missed bins.

A joint budget of £4.3m for the 2019/20 year has been agreed to operate the service and at the start of this month Kier staff transferred across to the new shared service.

The long-term plan is for the fleet vehicles to operate out of one depot but to start with the two existing depots in Lammas Road, Corby, and Robinson Way, Kettering, will be used. Corby Council will be spending £110,000 from reserves on refurbishing its depot and £322,000 will be borrowed by Kettering to pay for new grounds maintenance equipment. The costs will be recharged to Corby within its management fee.

The vehicles for Corby’s new fleet will be supplied under Kettering’s existing contract with Specialist Fleet Services. The contract runs until 2027.

A report before Kettering’s executive committee in November said benefits of the new scheme would include improved verge maintenance in Kettering, to bring it in line with Corby’s standards.