People can now track their rubbish and recycling collections in real time after Brighton and Hove City Council started using pioneering new technology in its bin lorries.
The council said that it believed it was the first local authority in the country to provide this real-time service.
It said: “The council’s environmental services department has been undergoing a period of rapid modernisation as part of the local authority’s commitment to address historic issues with the service.
“The latest innovation sees the introduction of real-time in-cab technology to replace the old paper-based system.
“Collection vehicles will be connected directly to residents, with updates available as they happen through the council’s website and MyAccount service.
“This means residents can track the progress of their refuse and recycling collections and see when they are completed.
“An automated system will instantly flag any that have been missed, reducing the need for residents to proactively report missed collections.
“Where a collection is missed, the technology will reallocate to another crew if available. Residents will then be able to see the details of the rescheduled collection.
“Reports now only need to be made if a bin that is marked as completed on the system is not collected in reality.
“It is believed the council is the first in the UK to provide this real-time update service.
“The council’s team are also looking at easier ways for residents to report full communal street bins, which will feed directly to crews.
“As part of a commitment to being more transparent about how the service is performing, the council will start to report weekly on how the service performed the previous week on its website in the new year.”
Labour councillor Tim Rowkins, the deputy leader and the council’s cabinet member for net zero and environmental services, said: “Our team has been working incredibly hard to reduce the number of missed collections and has made amazing progress in recent months – all while also collecting an expanded range of materials for recycling and launching the new food waste service.
“This new technology means we can manage the service much more efficiently and, crucially, make sure residents know what is happening.
“I particularly want to thank our collection crews. Aside from doing an amazing job in all weathers, they have helped to test this new technology. Their knowledge and real-world feedback has been crucial in getting it ready to go live.
“To enable the system in our vehicles to link directly with residents, we built a bespoke application programming interface (API) to make sure updates are passed instantly from our vehicles to our residents.
“We believe we are the first council anywhere in the country to provide this real-time information. It is a great example of how we’re using digital innovation not only to help our hard-working staff but also to provide a better service to our residents.”
Residents don’t want to track their bins, they just want them collected.
Not sure Cllr Rowkins gets that the problem has been the council doesn’t know what is happening with collections. Residents only really care about it because their bins are not emptied and when they raise it with the council it’s clear the council has zero idea what’s going on.
Most councils have had trackers in their collection vehicles for years, ours hasn’t because we’ve had a dysfunctional service for decades. The council’s 2018 ‘modernisation’ plans were derailed back in 2019 and sadly the Labour council back then failed to take action even after a never published independent report at the time raised concerns about management decisions being overturned by councillors and the impact this had.
I agree and don’t care about tracking my bin on an app. I just want it collected. If it’s not, I expect the council to know what’s going on, it’s gobsmacking they haven’t had trackers in vehicles for years like most other councils.
Sure, I would say that it is a nice extra. The important part is that the service itself can track collections, because the previous paper based system was missing spots, and this allows the second run of the day to be prepared straight away.
So in theory, we should see a pretty rapid improvement to collection.
My favourite bit of council spin in this announcement is when they say they “believed it was the first local authority in the country to provide this real-time service”.
After the Hove Beach Park fiasco where Bella Sankey claimed it was the first new park in 100 years, when it clearly wasn’t, it means I guess they know their claims can easily be proven wrong, so they need to be more careful about councillors making false and inaccurate statements in the first place.
Does this mean that people will now put their bins out on the correct day? Get ready for the fixed penalty notice system to be rolled out!
Well I wouldn’t hold your breath . The penalty notice was agreed 3 years ago but they don’t have the tech to implement fines ( for persistent ‘offenders’ ) meanwhile , people with mobility , visual issues are unable to navigate the pavements due to bins blocking the pavements .
It’s not up to residents to track where the refuse/recycling vehicle is at any given time. We are given our collection days and that is the day it should be collected if we stick to our part of the contract. If it isn’t collected on the right day then the refuse/recycling should automatically become the full responsibility of Brighton & Hove council and they should be held responsible (financially) and residents compensated for non collection on the right day!
Absolutely – it’s up to the council to track and for them to do their job – not residents!
With this new system the council is doing exactly ehat you want it to do but instead of keeping the information to itself it is making it availabe to the public!
Residents don’t have to do anything different just put their bins out at the right time on the right day. If you don’t want to see the new information then no one is forcing you to!
The council’s press release says “Where a collection is missed, the technology will reallocate to another crew if available” that bodes well as the council always say it’s things like staff sickness and staffing issues why collections are missed. Saw an advert for more drivers go out just this week – so am worried staff retention is still a problem.
It’s not fancy apps the council needs, they should have had in-cab trackers years and years ago rather than the ridiculous paper based system that Labour were too scared to scrap back in 2018 when the idea was first mooted. They just need to collect the bins, residents don’t care what they can and can’t see, the council could have had the in cab trackers yonks ago, and they chose not to push ahead with it then.
It’s a good move forward. And, I’m sure it will help with the frequent question residents do have:
“Has the binmen been? Are they coming for a second round? Or have I been missed?”
Please don’t tell me that the council has used the millions of pounds it received from central government (new burdens money to set up food waste and expanded recycling services before new laws start in March 2026) on designing a bin app that nobody wants and nobody asked for!
No it hasnt!
It’s been spent on special collection trucks and the bins we are all getting.
No-one is going to tell you that, because that’s not really how this works. Put simply, it takes vehicle data, and displays it on the existing BHCC website. It’s the equivalent of setting up notifications on your phone. Super cheap and easy to do.
So how much money has the council spent on this app and which pot of money did it come from.
The council pleads poverty and says that’s why they are closing libraries and then give spend money on something like this. Yes track collection trucks for internal use and data – it’s mad that wasn’t happening already when other councils have been doing it for years. Who on earth they think is going to sit watching trucks move around the city on an app is a bit baffling though! The council need to just collect the bins. It is not rocket science. It is not something solved because of an app.
You could ask the council but these days it costs very little to develop an app.
It would have come from the refuse departmental budget so not available to spend on anything else.
You seem to have no problem with the council tracking bin trucks for its own use but are hopping mad about that same data being made available to the public?
It’s a very strange position to put yourself in.
Unfortunately, you’re conflating two different funds that are not interchangable again. Like I said Clare, being able to view the tracking data is a nice extra for the public, that’s not rocket science. The main purpose is to tackle one of the main challenges, like missed collections, and that ensures the bins are collected, just as you want.
I’m not really sure why you are so against this.
what an absolute waste of money!! just put your bin out the night before collection and IF they can be bothered to collect the rubbish you then bring your bin back…. clowns!
The upgrade isn’t for residents to chase the lorry, it’s so crews and supervisors finally have live data instead of paper sheets. That’s what reduces missed collections. The resident view is just a small add-on.
There is no link to the web page so – https://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/rubbish-recycling-and-streets/bins-and-collections/check-your-bin-box-and-caddy-collection-days
Looks good, but the council seem to have stopped producing those sheets (printed and PDF online) with the full schedule for each year, which were handy to keep pinned to a board for reference.
I am amazed how negative people are. I am also amazed how many people think they can do a better job in complex situations ( without telling us what experience and skills they have).
They put some glitter on the t**d but the root problem hasn’t been sealed with. Massive sickness and staff turnover, managers treating staff like dirt and suspending them acting like Napoleon
Not to mention the vehicle breakdowns
Sure, I don’t think anyone reasonable thinks that pulling one lever will magically solve everything, but it’s certainly a step in the right direction, right?
They put some glitter on the t**d but the root problem hasn’t been dealed with. Massive sickness and staff turnover, managers treating staff like dirt and suspending them acting like Napoleon
Not to mention the vehicle breakdowns
A couple of weeks ago, I reported a missed recycling collection. I live in a terrace of 10 properties. True to their word, a truck came and collected my recycling but left all my neighbours detritus!
Having just worked for a business that says it has zero landfill.
How come we just had 50 skips on the job removing waste for shop refurbishment .