A new eight-year contract for the delivery of kerbside household and commercial waste and recycling collections in South Gloucestershire, to commence in August 2025, will be awarded to SUEZ Recycling and Recovery UK following an extensive, competitive tendering process, subject to final ratification by Cabinet in November 2024.
The new contract, worth around £120 million, will replace the current 25-year PFI (Private Finance Initiative) when it expires. In addition to delivering improved value for money, the new arrangements will allow South Gloucestershire to improve its recycling rate, reduce residents’ environmental impact as well as deliver service improvements over the life of the new contract.
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.
South Gloucestershire has one of the highest recycling rates for a unitary authority in England with a current rate of 58.6 per cent, showing that residents are keen to play their part to improve our local environment.
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.
“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.”
