Biffa awarded 12m Crawley collection contract

Due to commence in February 2014, the Biffa service will maintain Crawleys current schedule of collecting refuse once a week, and dry recyclables and green waste on a fortnightly basis. Biffa replaces the council’s existing waste contractor Veolia Environmental Services.

The contractor will be introducing new wheeled bins for refuse alongside those already in place to collect recyclables and garden waste, while other services include kerbside collections for small waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) and waste textiles.

The bins, to be rolled out for almost 43,000 properties, are being funded by a 1.15 million grant from the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG).

Crawley hopes the service will save it some 3 million over the term of the contract, with an option to extend it for a further three years to 2024.

Flexibility

The council will also procure a fleet of 12 new vehicles, which will feature lower emissions, smaller turning circles, improved residential access and quieter bin lifts. They will also be equipped with in-cab technology for recording collection information.

Biffa municipal managing director Roger Edwards welcomed the contract, which brings the number of South East local authorities serviced by the contractor to 12.

He said: We are all immensely proud to have secured this important contract. Biffas operational hallmark is efficiency, flexibility and an obsession with providing high quality services that enable householders to recycle more and waste less, while reducing council costs. Crawleys residents can be certain that those high service standards will be the norm, and we look forward to helping them get the most out of the boroughs new services.

Councillor Ken Trussell, Crawley borough councils cabinet member for environment, added: This new contract will help us achieve both service improvements and savings, meaning a great deal for Crawley residents.

Residents will benefit from being able to recycle extra items, much lower emissions, and quieter collection vehicles, in addition to receiving a wheeled bin for any remaining rubbish that cant be recycled.

Contract

In October 2012, Biffa secured a 10 year recycling, refuse and street cleansing contract with Mid Kent Waste Partnership worth 86 million.

First launched in Ashford and recently rolled out in Maidstone borough councils, it is hoped the move will push up recycling, reuse and composting performances up across the area. Swale will be the last council to adopt the service in early in 2014 (see letsrecycle.com story).