Between them the councils are hoping the move will generate an additional 200 tonnes a year of paper for recycling.
Behind Basingstoke and Deane's decision to award the three year deal to AbitibiBowater is the company's ability to accept old Yellow Pages directories at its Bridgewater mill at Ellesmere port, which are rejected by many other UK mills.
In particular, the council explained that this would dovetail well with its existing kerbside collection contract, won by Veolia in 2001 (see letsrecycle.com story), as it did not currently cover directories.
Councillor Elaine Still, Basingstoke & Deane's cabinet member for the environment and climate change said: “Our kerbside contractor is unable to accept Yellow Pages as part of the mix whereas the directories can be easily recycled alongside news and pams at any of our 18 paper bank sites.”
She added: “Other factors tipped the scale in favour of AbitibiBowater. Price, of course, but also the quality of the paper banks – all new, freshly painted and with clear instructions, as well as the company's reputation for consistently delivering a good service, already evidenced by the efficiency with which banks are regularly emptied, avoiding overflows.”
Emptied
Under AbitibiBowater's service, banks are typically emptied once a week by local contractors using hiab lifts and carried to the nearest transfer station for bulking up.
In Hampshire, the paper will be sent to AbitibiBowater's Portsmouth transfer station before being sent on the Ellesmere port mill.
Winchester council's environment team manager, David Boardman, said: “We see the Abitibi banks as a useful addition to our existing collection infrastructure and will place them at strategic locations, such as Park and Ride sites, where we would expect them to generate high volumes. Our plan is to expand the initial number of banks as we identify other potential locations.”
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