The service, which was launched last Monday (June 11), is provided by waste management firm Biffa, which fought off competition from four other companies for the contract.
Biffa currently collects recycling from households in the borough under its contract with Melton borough council, which switched to a commingled collection in February 2012 (see letsrecycle.com story). In addition Biffa collects residual waste from households and green waste through its Green Waste Club.
Commenting on the service Andrew Cooper, chairman of the Melton BID, said: We are committed to helping over 400 local businesses reduce waste going to expensive landfill by providing a cost-effective and efficient weekly recycling service that meets their needs. This should help local businesses to reduce their waste costs significantly. This partnership with both Biffa and Melton Borough Council will enable the Melton BID to reinvigorate the town centre by making it more attractive and competitive.
Francis Drew, Biffas business manager for Melton, added: Naturally, we are delighted to win this tender which will see Biffa providing a key and valued service to help improve the heart of Melton Mowbray. Weve worked with Melton for nearly a decade, and welcome this opportunity to deepen that relationship in a very visible way.
Service
Biffa will collect the dry recyclables from 443 businesses in Meltons town centre on a weekly basis in free recycling sacks or 240 litre or 1100 litre bins which are provided at a heavily-discounted rate. The material will be collected on either a Monday or Wednesday after the firm has completed its household collection rounds.
Once collected the material will be taken to Biffas material recycling facility (MRF) in Aldridge, near Walsall where they will be sorted.
Businesses will be able to put out a range of materials for collection commingled meaning that paper, cardboard, plastic bottles, cartons, metals, glass and mixed plastics can be collected in the same container. Biffa said collecting the material commingled will make it easier for the businesses to recycle and the containers will take up less space than in a source-separated scheme.
Melton borough council has said that the income received for the sale of the recyclables will be fed back into the Melton BID. The council said the money can then be used to further enhance the scheme, delivering back further benefits to Meltons businesses. It said that Biffa has already confirmed that the scheme can be enhanced and extended in the future to include collecting trade refuse and food waste.
BID
The Melton BID was set up in October 2011 following a consultation which saw local businesses agree that a trade waste recycling scheme would enable them to cut costs and provide an efficient solution to disposing of their waste.
Supporting businesses pay a pre-agreed levy – up to 1.5% of their annual business rates, and a minimum of 100 per annum – towards a fund which can then purchase the best-priced non-statutory services, such as car parking, toilets and now, recycling collections.
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