Already the holder of the Winchester’s previous waste contract, the new deal will see Biffa introduce new refuse collection vehicles (RCVs) and the free collection of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) to the area.
Simon Baddeley, commercial director at Biffa, said: “It is more important than ever to ensure that we’re managing our customers’ waste as sustainably as possible to reduce the impact of waste on the environment.
“We are looking forward to continuing our work in the Winchester area and to introduce these new services to support Winchester city council.
“Helping our customers to recycle more and reduce carbon emissions is a key part of our long-term sustainability strategy.
“The new electrical recycling collections and lower emissions vehicles will help Winchester manage waste in a more environmentally friendly way.”
Previously, under a contract signed in 2011, Winchester and East Hampshire councils ran a joint service with Biffa. This was due to expire in September 2019. Winchester then extended the deal by a year while it procured a new contract, which Biffa won (see letsrecycle.com story).
Winchester
Liberal Democrat-run Winchester city council serves approximately 125,000 residents and recorded a 36.1% recycling rate in the 2018/19 Defra figures.
The RCVs to be introduced by Biffa are designed to emit lower levels of pollutants and are narrower than conventional vehicles to avoid congestion on the roads. They are fitted with onboard technology which will provide real-time data to Winchester city council and Biffa about any missed collections or issues.
Under the contract, Biffa will collect waste electrical items such as kettles, clocks and toasters for free. These will be taken to its specialist electric waste recycling depots to be dealt with “correctly” and recycled wherever possible, Biffa says.
Open tender process
Campbell Williams, service lead for environmental services at Winchester city council, said: “After an open tender process, Biffa were chosen because they shared our vision for excellent customer service, value for the council taxpayer, and an improved environment.
“Biffa were chosen because they shared our vision for excellent customer service, value for the council taxpayer, and an improved environment”
“We have been working with Biffa during the Covid-19 pandemic and the performance of their crews has been fantastic during this period, and we are aiming to build on this relationship.
“Whilst we can see benefits immediately through the new vehicles and new services being offered to residents, there are many longer-term benefits which we want to work with Biffa to deliver, such as access for community groups across Winchester to the Biffa Award grant scheme.”
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