Bay waste firm has turned services around

Torbay’s waste, cleaning and maintenance company has transformed services across the bay and turned itself into a firm people want to work for, councillors have been told.

Members of the Torbay Council cabinet committee were full of praise for SWISCo, the wholly-owned council company which takes care of waste and recycling, street cleaning, highway maintenance and grounds maintenance.
It was set up in 2020 as an in-house operation to replace Tor2, which was a partnership between the council and private firm Keir and had run into troubles including late waste collections, failing vehicles and low staff morale.
SWISCo’s annual report was unanimously accepted by the cabinet, and Cllr Adam Billings (Con, Churston with Galmpton) praised the quality of the company’s work.
Cllr Chris Lewis (Con, Preston) added: “It is too easy to forget what it was like a few years ago when there was such a shortage of drivers and it was impossible for them to operate.
“The system is actually working, and one of the reasons is that people now wish to work for SWISCo. Now there is a waiting list of people who want to work there.
“You are only as good as the staff you employ, and SWISCo has cracked it.”
Cllr Billings also highlighted SWISCo’s response to a recent traveller encampment at Astley Park in Brixham, where the company and local police worked together to move the vehicles off the site within 21 hours.
“That’s the quality of the work we are currently getting out of SWISCo,” he said. “It is all the men and women across the organisation who have delivered this, from our bin crews to the managing director.”