BARNSLEY Council has launched a new way of working for its waste collection employees in a bid to improve efficiency - and it’s hoped it’ll reduce the number of missed collections each week following months of complaints after January’s snow.

Waste collection workers currently use a paper-based system while out on their rounds - including a map which states where they need to go to collect bins.

Any missed bins due to badly-parked cars or any bins that need to be tagged due to the state they are in are written down and handed into bosses at the end of the shift - though this is soon to change.

A team of four - James Crossland, Kian Woodcock, Charlie Jackson and Charlie Robinson - have been tasked with revolutionising the way the system works.

And they’re currently rolling out a new digital system - called ‘In Cab’ - which they say will help improve efficiency and reduce the number of bins that are missed.

James, a driver of one of the bin lorries, told the Chronicle: “From a driver’s point of view this will be a hell of a lot easier.

“It’s all here now on the system.

“You’d have to get the paper map out before and now this is so much easier.

“Initially because it was new other people were asking questions but as we’ve gone they’ve found it to be a lot easier.

“I know it’ll take some getting used to but it should make our life a doddle.”

During the first two months of this year Barnsley Council’s bin collection crews missed more than 100,000 bins due to the ‘extreme’ weather conditions, as well as the implementation of the council’s new safety scheme Be Safe, Work Safe, Target Zero.

However many of the collection crews subsequently received abuse from members of the public - with the council then supporting those members of staff in a number of ways.

It’s hoped this scheme will ensure staff are not receiving abuse while on their rounds.

James added: “The amount of times we’ll mark down a broken bin and because in the office they don’t know it’s broken until we get there.

“The customer will then phone up and tell them there’s nothing wrong with their bin and we can’t get there in time.

“This system means the information will be there easier.

“It saves everyone getting an unnecessary bollocking.”

Kristopher Elsey, operations change manager at the council, told the Chronicle that the new system will make any damaged bins ‘indisputable’.

He added: “At the moment we get the reports for damaged bins and the resident might dispute that.

“We’re then placed in a tricky position where it’s ‘do we believe the resident or the crew?’.

“But now it’s going to be indisputable.

“This will protect our crews.”

On average there are around 11 to 13 grey bin crews, ten to 12 recycling crews and eight to ten green bin lorry crews out on Barnsley’s roads everyday.

Kristopher says each crew will typically collect up to around 1,800 bins - meaning millions of bins are collected each year.

Once the scheme is fully rolled out across the service it’s hoped it will ensure fewer bins are missed - and for those collections that aren’t picked up, residents will be able to know why straight away.

He added: “This is going to increase our efficiency enormously.

“One of the biggest things we have to deal with is that if anyone’s off sick or is on leave, they’re relying on paper maps.

“This will all be done on the device now.

“There’s millions of collections every year.

“We’re striving to reduce the number of mixed collections.”