AN electronic reporting system to keep waste and recycling collection operatives in touch with their Redditch headquarters has been installed.

The system called Webaspx WM InCab has been put in all collection vehicles and will allow officers to manage rounds more effectively and crews to report issues as they arise such as bins not left out or if a street couldn’t be accessed.

The information will be transmitted straight to the depot offices, where customer services officers can also see where the vehicle was and at what time when the issue was raised, putting information at their finger tips for when residents call.

Cllr Debbie Chance, Redditch Borough Council’s Portfolio-Holder for environmental services, said: "This system will make our service more responsive an efficient for both our customer and crews.

"We can track routes in real time to highlight areas where crews may need help to complete their rounds – and send extra workers in, who have finished their rounds, to assist."

Currently, if a bin is reported to the council as not emptied, by a resident, crews will generally return to empty it, even if it hadn’t been put out for 7am as required.

Cllr Chance added: "Using this real time recording system means we can be confident, when reporting back to a resident, that their bin was left out at the right time.

"To keep sending our crews back out can be a very costly to the service and is not efficient."

Residents are being urged to put their bin out at the right time as, as the system is bedding in to the service, over the next few weeks, crews will return on the first instance but on the second occasion of this happening, will not return to empty the bin.

The WM InCab system, will also be used as part of a future campaign to encourage and educate residents to recycle correctly. This is part of a countywide initiative to reduce the amount of contaminated recyclables being collected.

To report a missed bin or for more information on recycling visit redditchbc.gov.uk.