Cory signs new contract with Westminster city council

The new contract will work alongside recycling capacity already provided by Onyx Environmental for Westminster city council, and will take pre-sorted waste paper, mixed glass, cans and plastic bottles from kerbside collections starting in 2003. There will also be the possibility of collecting electronic and white goods as well as kitchen waste.

Commenting on the new contract, Westminster’s cabinet member for street environment, Judith Warner, said: “This increase in capacity puts in place the necessary framework to deliver on our responsibilities. By working with residents and businesses over the coming years, we can move towards a more environmentally friendly future.”

Unusual
Waste management is unusual in Westminster, which has a population of 231,600, since 64% of the material comes from commercial sources compared to the 10% average. Storage will be a problem for any kerbside collection project, since 75% of households are flats. The possibility of making structural adjustments to store waste within buildings will be difficult, since 70% of Westminster is included in a designated conservation area.

Cory’s chief executive said: “We look forward to a long-standing partnership with the council and will endeavour to find innovative solutions to its sustainable waste management needs over the next 14 years.”

The new contract will see waste going to Cory Environmental’s Cringle Dock transfer station, with any non-recyclable material being taken by river to the firm’s landfill site in Thurrock. Cory estimates suggest that the river saves on 100,000 heavy goods vehicle movements on London’s roads, but alternative solution to the non-recyclable material will be needed when the Thurrock landfill closes in 2007.

Western Riverside
In the same week as the Westminster contract was signed, Cory also launched another central London waste contract – a 700 million deal with the Western Riverside Waste Authority.

Signed in May 2002 (see letsrecycle.com story), the Western Riverside contract will see Cory handling around half a million tonnes of material, and it is thought that revenues from the contract could even surpass the 1 billion mark.

The 30-year contract will mean the construction of a new 84,000 tonne capacity materials reclamation facility in Wandsworth, one of the largest local authority MRFs in the country.