Manchester street cleaning and 'overflowing bins' discussed by council

Elected members and council officers regularly raised concerns about overflowing bins, the report said

Concerns about the standard of street cleaning and "overflowing" litter bins in Manchester city centre have been raised by council officers.

A "lack of attention" to litter removal has led to a fall in standards, the officers said, while perceptions of bin collection services are low.

Contractor Biffa suggested to the council that the city centre was busier than when its contract began in 2015.

A new system to show when bins are full is set to be introduced by December.

A report to the council's Neighbourhoods and Environment Scrutiny Committee highlighted a "steady reduction" in streets receiving high grades in the council's cleaning assessments.

In it, the officers said Biffa had told them that growth had had a "significant impact" on street cleansing.

Biffa had also suggested that streets were "deteriorating much quicker" after cleaning "than they did at the start of the contract".

As a result, they need to clean such "high footfall" areas more often.

Biffa said growth in the city centre has had a "significant impact"

Executive member for neighbourhoods, Councillor Rabnawaz Akbar, said: "The city's success has led to an increasing population and a thriving, expanding city centre, which inevitably increases pressures on our services", adding that the council was "continually working to improve the efficiency of our street cleansing and waste collection services".

The report also highlighted a rise in street cleaning services related to rough sleepers, and "poorly managed" commercial waste.

Officers said they "recognise" these factors are "posing significant challenges".

The council has asked Biffa to introduce a new system to improve litter bin collections.

Biffa's general manager Mark Hodkinson said: "In May 2018, the Keep Britain Tidy report highlighted 'hugely improved' standards of cleansing and showed Manchester to be above the national average.

"We will continue to work closely with the council to deliver improvements."

A trial of smart bin sensors installed in 2017 was "successful" technology wise, but Biffa deemed the system not to be financially viable.

Another system, involving QR codes on bins, is being developed and is set to be introduced by the end of the year.