The contract, approved by Surrey Heath Borough Council’s Executive, is set to be awarded to Veolia UK and begin on 6 June 2027 when the current agreement with Amey LG expires.
Following an eight-working-day standstill period ending on 13 August 2026, Veolia is expected to be formally appointed.
The contract has an estimated value of £526,947,718 over its full potential term of up to 21 years, although this excludes any future indexation adjustments.
Initially, the agreement will run until 3 June 2034, with the option to extend to 5 June 2048.
The procurement covers waste collection, recycling and street cleansing services across Elmbridge, Mole Valley, Surrey Heath and Woking, which currently operate under a joint contract managed by Joint Waste Solutions (JWS).
According to the councils, bids were assessed on an equal weighting of price and quality, reflecting the importance of delivering value for money while maintaining high service standards for residents.
Before the contract announcement was made, the decision to was presented to the four councils for their approval. The two Shadow Authority Executives for East and West Surrey also reviewed and approved the decision.
The contract will continue to cover the same service area following local government reorganisation in Surrey, which is due to take effect in April 2027.
Joint Waste Solutions
Joint Waste Solutions was established in 2017 to manage frontline waste collection, recycling and street cleansing services on behalf of the four Surrey authorities.
The shared service oversees the councils’ contract management, service improvement and operational performance, while the collection service itself is delivered by an external contractor.
The new agreement will replace the existing contract with Amey, who confirmed to letsrecycle.com that it did not participate in the procurement and said the decision reflects a broader strategic shift away from waste collections.
Historically one of the UK’s largest providers of local authority waste and environmental services, the company has increasingly focused on its core infrastructure, transport and engineering operations.
I am a lifelong waste and recycling person, and I live in Mole Valley and must say, I have always been very happy with the services provided by JWS, who have been reliable, friendly and willing to help.
I just hope that Veolia will be as good as JWS in all of these areas.