New £120m waste collection contract for South Gloucestershire
A new £120 million eight-year contract for the delivery of kerbside household and commercial waste and recycling collections in South Gloucestershire is set to be awarded to SUEZ Recycling and Recovery UK. Due to commence in August 2025, the contract was signed following an extensive tendering process, and is subject to final ratification in November 2024.
The new contract, worth around £120 million, will replace the current 25-year PFI (Private Finance Initiative) when it expires. Under the new contract, waste and recycling sorted by residents will continue to be collected from households using recycling containers.
There will be improvements to how the service is operated behind the scenes, with upgraded in-cab systems for better live reporting, communication with the crews and monitoring of day-to-day operations. An app will also be launched for residents to use, making it quicker and easier to report issues, check collection days, and provide general waste and recycling information.
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SUEZ has been the firm in charge of kerbside collections across South Gloucestershire for years. Last summer bin collections across the local authority area suffered significant disruption after around 150 employees of the waste management company Suez went on strike over pay. The strike was eventually called off after a pay offer between the union and the firm was agreed.
The Sort It recycling centres and waste transfer stations are not part of the new contract. When the current contract expires in July 2025, these will be managed directly by South Gloucestershire Council, with staff working at those sites becoming employees of the council.
South Gloucestershire Council cabinet member with responsibility for waste and recycling services, Councillor Sean Rhodes, said: "We are committed to delivering value for money services that meet the needs of our residents. Waste and recycling services are something that we all use. They are a very visible aspect of the work the council does, so it's important we're always looking to improve and reduce the cost of these services wherever possible.
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"The new contract will also allow us to make even greater progress to increase recycling rates. It provides the flexibility to, over time, recycle more and different materials from households at the kerbside, making it easier for everyone to play their part to improve our environment and reduce waste.
"Technological improvements will make it easier to monitor the service, and for residents to access more information, quicker, and to report any issues. The council has now worked with SUEZ for a long time and this contract, which replaces an old, out of date PFI arrangement, will allow us to continue that partnership and continually improve the services that residents receive.
"The other major change will be the bringing back 'in-house' of the Sort It centres. Doing so will be more cost effective and, again, it will allow us to improve the service. The recommendation to enter a new contract with SUEZ will be considered for formal approval by Cabinet in November. Once agreed, work will continue to ensure a smooth transition to the new arrangements next summer."
John Scanlon, Chief Executive Officer for SUEZ recycling and recovery UK said: "After a long and successful partnership with South Gloucestershire, we're delighted to have secured the new contract to manage their household and commercial waste and recycling collections.
"We look forward to continuing to work with the council to drive up recycling rates and enhance collection services, with innovations including an app that will help residents to keep track of their collections, and extending the collection of flexible plastics packaging to all households. With an added focus on social value in line with our triple bottom line approach, we will bring lasting benefits to local communities across South Gloucestershire over the eight-year life of the contract."