Big change to £2.5m garden waste contracts in Staffordshire

Staffordshire County Council is set to take charge of garden waste disposal contracts worth around £2.5 million. The county council is responsible for household waste disposal across Staffordshire, but up until now it has been paying district and borough authorities to manage the contracts for the composting of garden waste in their areas.

Now the county council will be taking over the management of garden waste disposal contracts, paying the contractors directly. But district and borough councils will still be responsible for the collection of household waste and recycling, including garden waste, and roadside collections will not be affected.

Cabinet members will be asked to approve the change, and grant authority for officers to start the procurement process, when they meet on Wednesday. The report to cabinet says that aligning the garden waste disposal contracts county-wide will allow 'economies of scale' to be maximised, ultimately saving taxpayers' money.

READ: Royal Stoke A&E waits best in three years - but 'cracks now appearing' - More than 70 per cent of A&E patients have been seen within four hours for two months in a row

READ: Taxpayers fork out £20k for probe into parish council 'bullying' row - Betley councillor Angela Drakakis-Smith is set to be 'censured' after an investigation found she breached the code of conduct

The county council will 'capture' the garden waste from each district and borough as each of the existing contracts expires. The daily operations of district and borough councils will not be 'greatly impacted', with no changes to 'current collection methodology'.

Councillor Mark Deaville, cabinet member for commercial matters, said: "This move to simplify multiple contracts will save the taxpayer money and maintain services to the district and borough councils. It is part of a wider commitment to provide or commission good quality services for residents at value-for-money prices."

Councillor Simon Tagg, cabinet member for environment, infrastructure and climate change, added: "Staffordshire County Council is committed to recycling and reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2050. The efficient and comprehensive collection and composting of garden waste plays a vital part in the overall progress towards that goal."