Autoclave specialists Sterecycle and waste management company Waste Recycling Group have been shortlisted for both parts of a £250 million waste treatment contract which is being let by North Lincolnshire council.

North Lincolnshire council claims it is looking for a creative solution to managing a growing mountain of waste

The two companies are the only names to appear on both of the four bidder shortlists for 'Lot 1' of the 25-year-deal, which involves treating municipal residual waste, and the list of four bidders for 'Lot 2', which is for treating organic waste.

The full shortlist for Lot 1, where the winning bidder will be expected to build a facility to treat around 50,000 tonnes of waste a year, is:

• North Lincs Green Energy - a consortium involving Biffa and lime producer Singleton Birch;
• Lancashire-based waste technology company Orchid Environmental;
• Sterecycle;
• and, Northampton-based Waste Recycling Group.

While the council stressed that the choice of site and technology would be made as part of the procurement process, it used gasification as the reference technology to determine the estimated value of the contract when it was first advertised in March 2009.

And, one of the bidders - Singleton Birch - has already received planning permission and named Energos as technology provider for a proposed gasification facility at its Melton Ross site in North Lincolnshire, with a view to treating locally-arising residual waste (see letsrecycle.com story).

Organic waste

For Lot 2, which involves treating 20,000 tonnes of organic waste a year, the full list of contenders is:

• Suffolk-based composting company County Mulch;
• waste management firm Shanks;
• Sterecycle;
• and, Waste Recycling Group.

The council currently owns an open-windrow composting site which is uses to treat organic waste, and, when advertising the deal, its reference project was based on continuing to use the same technology. But, as with the residual waste deal, it said both site and technology would be decided as part of the procurement process.

With the announcement of the shortlists, the council's cabinet member for neighbourhood and environment, councillor Len Foster, claimed the procurement process was progressing well.

"This is a huge responsibility for the successful company or companies and will mean a real long-term commitment. They must be able to find innovative and creative solutions to handle our growing mountain of waste, with recycling and reusing being central to any plans," he said.

"This is a huge investment, but I am confident that we will find the right people to do the job," he added.

Next steps

The next step for the process will involve the remaining bidders having to submit detailed solutions which they will work on with the council until it gets to a stage where at least two bidders for each lot can be invited to submit their best offer to the council as a final tender.

As the council's current disposal contract ends on March 31 2011, it aims to award the new contract late next year before it starts in April 2011.