Wolverhampton waste collection crew is best in the UK
Released: 18 October 2007
A waste collection crew from Wolverhampton has been recognised as the best in the country after winning a prestigious, national award.
The team, led by Roger Collins and Les Dewsbury, was given the Collection Crew of the Year title at the Awards for Excellence in Recycling and Waste Management, yesterday.
Roger and Les’ crew is one of four which provides a trade waste collection service in and around Wolverhampton. Trade waste collection is part of services provided by the city council and Enterprise which work together as the Wolverhampton Waste Management Partnership.
The crew was chosen from a shortlist of three in the national awards run by letsrecycle.com. The ceremony was attended by Recycling Minister Joan Ruddock and the awards were presented by BBC presenter, Bill Turnbull.
Councillor Pat Byrne, Wolverhampton City Council’s Cabinet Member for the Environment, said: “We are absolutely delighted for Roger, Les, and the team. This is a wonderful achievement.
“The outstanding service they deliver stands out as completely deserving of such recognition. They go to great lengths to make their customers’ lives easier and are constantly thinking of new ways to improve the service they offer. If a problem arises they are also quick to find a solution which fits in with the customer’s needs.
“The award is a reflection of how customers are genuinely impressed with the dedication shown by the crew and provides yet another example of the commitment and professionalism of everyone at the partnership in delivering services of the highest quality.”
More than 200 entries were received in nine Awards for Excellence categories this year, celebrating special efforts and innovation across the local authority, retail and business sectors.
Roger Collins, team leader on the Wolverhampton round said: “We are stunned and overjoyed to have won this fantastic award.
“We are really proud to have been chosen out of the hundreds of nominations that were put forward.
“We never expected to be singled out for our work; it’s a pleasure to do what we can for our customers and we really enjoy carrying out our role as part of the Wolverhampton Waste Management Partnership.
“We’d like to thank everyone who has made such wonderful comments about us in the lead-up to these awards.
“It just shows that the efforts I, Les and the team make on a daily basis are really appreciated - and that means a lot to us.”
The winners were announced at London’s Savoy Hotel yesterday before an audience of more than 300 senior industry representatives.
During the event Joan Ruddock paid special tribute to collection crews and commended “the high degree of innovation, imagination and enthusiasm shown by the award entries”.
Letsrecycle.com’s Editor, Steve Eminton said: “This year’s entries impressed, both in terms of the record numbers we received, as well as the breadth and quality of submissions.”
The awards are supported by the likes of Defra, the Environment Agency, the Environmental Services Association and the National Association of Waste Disposal Officers.
Issued by the press office.