“It’s dirty work but someone’s got to do it”

ODS, the Local Authority Trading Company (LATCo) that provides services on behalf of Oxford City Council, has just been featured in the first episode of the new series of Channel Five’s “Filthy Britain SOS”. The observational series showcases the fearless teams who clean up Britain’s messes, from discarded construction materials and bathroom fittings, to used needles and even human waste.

This week’s episode follows teams in Oxford, Buckinghamshire and Harrow as they do the “dirty work”, clearing up what people discard for others to deal with. ODS worker, Gary Coulthard, who is featured in the episode, is a member of the Oxford based Street scene team. A local resident and father of three, he is described as “one of Oxford’s most critical first responders in the war against waste”. Accustomed to doing this type of work for the past 15 years, Gary is passionate about the work he does to keep Oxford safe and pleasant for all of the community to enjoy. With an illegal fly tip reported every 40 seconds across the UK, he knows all the tips and tricks to get through a job, as well as the lingo, describing one location that is popular among repeat offenders as “the normal place”.

Bruce Thompson, Head of Environmental Services at ODS said: “Our main priority is keeping Oxford clean to a high standard and safe. The “Oxford Standard”, which involves more deep cleaning, hot washing, steam cleaning and sanitising, is the new regime we have in place to ensure the city is pleasant and safe for all its residents, workers and visitors. Workers like Gary make sure all of this is done before the city wakes, so that no one is disturbed. Most people don’t know that such a major transformation of Oxford’s streets occurs every day, and we truly would not be able to deliver our cleaning regime so successfully without the dedication of all our employees.”

ODS has made several big changes this year to make street cleaning safer and more efficient. It has changed its litter picking routes and litter bag drop off points to make vehicle collection easier, and ensures that Street scene staff are on patrol every day across the city. In the era of COVID-19, the team also sanitises the bins, benches and bus shelters in the city centre once a day, while wearing PPE, including masks and gloves.

In addition to street cleaning, ODS carries out other core services on behalf of Oxford City Council such as waste collection, highways maintenance and building repairs, and provides many of these services to businesses, universities and other organisations across the county.

“Filthy Britain SOS” airs Mondays at 9pm on 5STAR.

To find out more about ODS’ street cleaning services, visit: www.odsgroup.co.uk/Services/Open-Spaces

To read feature articles, see the below:

• Filthy Britain SOS: Oxford fly-tipping shown on TV Channel 5, Oxford Mail 18/11/2020