How Much Certainty Do You Need Before Making A Fleet Decision?
A recent Valpak analysis estimates that flexible plastic collections in England could increase from 15,000 tonnes today to 96,000 tonnes by 2030. That represents a 540% increase. It is a striking figure, but it is still a forecast of the future volume councils are being asked to plan for and one they cannot yet know with certainty.
A search for specialist fleet providers quickly brings up vehicle types, specifications and manufacturers. Then there aUnder Simpler Recycling, flexible plastics are due to become part of household recycling services in England. At present, only a small proportion is collected through household services, so the transition involves more than adding another material to an existing round. Councils will need to consider how flexible plastics fit into collection and onward handling as volumes increase.
Neil Jeremiah, Managing Director at Endurance, explains:
“When a future service requirement is based on an estimate, there is a tendency to treat it as the number we need to plan around. But forecasts are there to help us understand what might happen, not tell us exactly what will happen.
“A council may have a reasonable view of the likely volume, but how that translates into a collection service will depend on how households use the system, how collection models develop and how the material moves through the wider waste infrastructure. Those things become clearer with experience.
“The mistake is to think that uncertainty means you cannot make a decision. You still have to plan, but you need to understand which decisions are difficult to change and which need room to move as the service develops.
“When the potential change is as significant as this, the question is not whether you can predict the eventual requirement precisely. It is whether the decisions you make today will still make sense if the requirement turns out to be different.”
At Endurance, we plan for changing requirements through ongoing dialogue with operators and OEMs, allowing fleet provision to develop as the operational picture becomes clearer. Our Equipment-as-a-Service model brings equipment, maintenance, support and fleet management together as an ongoing service, giving councils the flexibility to respond as requirements evolve without needing to commit to a solution long before the need is defined.
Preparing for changing collection requirements? Our sales team are on hand to discuss how Endurance can support your fleet planning.
🔗 Read the Valpak report here
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