Dudley Council’s household waste and street cleansing teams will discover if they have been victorious in the APSE Awards later this month.

The household waste team are nominees in the Best Efficiency & Transformation Initiative category for the introduction of an innovative new booking system to the Household Waste Recycling Centre in Stourbridge.

Waiting times at the recycling centre have been cut significantly by the new system, which allows residents to check online for availability, reschedule bookings, change reservation details and make multiple weekday bookings.

The council’s street cleansing superstars are shortlisted for the Best Service Team: Street Cleansing and Streetscene Service award for an incredible 18th consecutive year. They previously won this category in 2007, 2009 and 2010.

It is the fifth national award that the street cleansing team have been nominated for in the past 12 months, following recognition from high-profile bodies like the Local Government Chronicle and Keep Britain Tidy.

The APSE Awards recognise outstanding frontline services provided by local authorities across the country. Councillor Shaz Saleem, cabinet member for highways and public realm, said:

"These nominations are testament to the attitudes of the teams involved. The staff at Stourbridge recycling centre are constantly looking for ways to improve their service and the new booking system has been hugely popular with its users.

"Our street cleaners work hard in all weathers to keep the borough looking at its best. They have been shortlisted for several awards recently and I know these nominations are well deserved.

"I would like to thank all our staff for their tireless work. It would be fantastic to see both teams bringing these big prizes back to Dudley borough and I wish them the best of luck at the ceremony."

The winners will be announced at APSE's annual charity awards dinner on Thursday 15 September in Swansea.