Union leaders are seeking urgent talks with Biffa, in the latest move to protect jobs and services at the debt-laden waste management group. The move comes as the company, which has contracts with numerous local councils, is reported to be on the verge of falling into the hands of 76 banks and financial institutions, which are owed £1.1bn by Biffa's owners, Montagu Private Equity and Global Infrastructure Partners.
01 October 2012
23 April 2012
Shipshape
Plymouth City Council have purchased a new fleet of Dennis Elite waste trucks:
I cant really et this opportunity go by without highlighting this shot of my sons Lego work If only because it features in his new blog: Zak Lego Etc.
[A Dads go to do what a Dads got to do!]
In the News
- Stagecoach has extended its megabus.com operation to mainland Europe, providing what group chief executive Brian Souter describes as “a long-overdue shake-up to the over-priced European coach travel market.” Bus and Coach
Elsewhere on the net
- The news that a Magicbus service is soon to start in South Yorkshire has prompted fbb to look at this "low cost" brand, brought to us by Stagecoach and currently a major player along the Wilmslow Road. Public Transport Experience
- Whether you are employed in the industry or not, whether enthusiast or spotter, there’s always been something slightly different about Gosport & Fareham. Here, we consider why. Omnibuses
- When researching for Pont Hafren blogs (etc.) fbb assumed wrongly, that "Old Passage" referred to the now demised ferry crossing from Aust to Beachley; a passage that had become "old" with the building of the Severn Bridge. Public Transport Experience
- Just days before the launch of the innovative Gosport to Fareham busway, the local south Hampshire press has latched on its purported longer journey times. So, rather than trumpet the launch of the service or push its many benefits, instead it dwells on the negative. Omnibuses
- Several Bristol VRTs have been owned by myself over the past seven years. TGP
- Puzzling Passage near Pilning [2] The old "New Passage" has a new purpose. Public Transport Experience
- By the time my spies arrived at Gosport & Fareham yesterday, the light had already begun to fade. They nevertheless managed a number of images that we can bring you, ahead of today’s launch Omnibuses
- This week's Sunday Lost Scenes focuses on some of the routes operated from Hoeford depot that will never run again?... Southern England Bus Scene
- It's been 15 years since the first Volvo B6LE was introduced as a low floor bus onto service 12 in Torbay. 701 (P701 BTA) was one of those, and has been withdrawn from public service since 2011.This week marks its 15th year since entering service in 1997, and to celebrate, she was taken out on the 12 route from Newton Abbot to Brixham and back. Torbay Bus Routes
23 December 2010
What a load of rubbish…
Difficult road conditions together with continuing freezing temperatures means bin collection services in Plymouth are likely to face further disruptions. Collections have been suspended since Monday due to the weather and road conditions and as the temperatures are not expected to rise above zero, these problems are expected to continue. While some more major roads may be clear, there are still significant problems on secondary roads. Many back lanes and pavements are still frozen solid and are extremely slippery to walk on and pull wheelie bins along. Managers and supervisors are meeting daily to discuss the ongoing situation and the predicted freezing temperatures and are trying to identify where it may be possible to provide a very limited service. Waste and Street Scene Manager Colin Mee said: "We appreciate that the situation is not ideal, but we are doing the best we can in testing circumstances. There are many roads where the ice simply has not melted, which makes life difficult not just for the crews, but too dangerous for the trucks, especially when trying to negotiate back lanes.” As a result of the disruptions and if the icy conditions improve, crews will be asked to report for work this Friday and Bank Holiday Monday (27 December). However, the big freeze is expected to last until at least Bank Holiday Monday. Councillor Michael Leaves, Cabinet Member for Community Services (Street Scene, Waste and Sustainability) said: "We still want people to recycle, but appreciate that space in their recycling bins or green bags could be more of a problem over Christmas. "Squash down the recyclables as much as possible, such as cans and boxes which can be folded. If you have more than a bin load of recyclables, put them in a cardboard box by the side of your recycling bin and we will collect them on this occasion. Avoid putting them in black bin liners if at all possible.” The service will aim to pick up both missed recycling as well as missed normal waste next week. The changes are being made in response to current weather as well as the forecast. It is possible dramatic changes in the weather will again affect the service and we will publish updates on the website and in the local media Despite their short lives with London Transport these AEC Merlins and Swifts did not achieve the kind of popularity enjoyed by better buses like the DM Fleetline finding new owners Busworld Photography
Small concerns tend to cite bureaucracy as a determining factor in selling up. The fact that the proprietor is 66 and there’s no family member prepared to take over could be a function of this ever increasing red tape. But it also indicates that there are usually more lucrative and easier ways of making a living without the long hours and marginal rewards associated with coaching. Omnibuses
In the face of defeat, A-Line Coaches was the only company left running today on the Rame Peninsula. PTOTPA
18 March 2009
What a waste
"I didn't expect to get any Plymouth City Council refuse trucks ” dbg Elsewhere... Numberzz 138000 Others... TGP gets a wash The Tamar Valley Giant Pasty Omnibuses 2.0 First Conumdrum | I spent an hour at lunchtime at Crownhill taking more photos, another 120 to add to my growing backlog of processing! Still, we continue with the pictures from last Friday with a selection of Skip trucks... Viridor Waste smart Volvo FE KM57JWU SWM Waste Recycling DAF 85CF Sims Metal FJ55WMK a smaller DAF LF truck. being a Friday I didn't expect to get any Plymouth City Council refuse trucks and I was right not to expect any as I didn't get any. I did however catch up with a couple from South Hams DC with VU58KGY which carries fleet number 190 and is a Dennis Eagle Elite 2 N2229VRC which carries their own version of the Recycle For... livery. A similar scheme is being rolled out onto Plymouth's new Mercedes trucks and of course features on some Citybus Darts. |
15 December 2008
Skipping off...

The council hopes to save £30,000 by ending its in-house provided skip container service and transferring internal customers to other collections. (This is Plymouth)
03 October 2006
Coastal-Waste

Coastal waste DAF bulk waste unit seen on the Embankment in August on its way the Chelson Meadow Refuse tip.
I have often spent hours standing at the main entrace to the tip taking photographs of the trucks coming in and out (it is also the main entrance to First Devon and Cornwalls depot) and was not looking forward to the tip being closed in March next year.
Now tonight comes news that the tip will notbe closing quite as soon as that. The landfill site, which takes most of the city's household and business waste, was due to close in March next year. But the Environment Agency (EA) has now told the city council it can keep the site open until March 2008 - after European landfill laws were reinterpreted by the Government.
A big relief for the City Council as it gives them more time to sort out what to do with our refuse and a big relief for me too!
26 September 2006
WCR Municipal Hire

It seems to me that Plymouth City Council has given up buying its own vehicles and just borrows them instead. One of the suppliers of refuse trucks that Plymouth has turned to is WCR Municipal Hire. One of at least two Mercedes Econic refuse compactors is seen above.








