The new agreement will commence in April 2026, extending the existing partnership between the council and Suez to 19 years in total, with the contract running for an initial five-year period and including an option to extend for a further five years.
Under the contract, Suez will continue to manage the council’s HWRC network and transfer stations, with a focus on maintaining recycling performance and expanding re-use activities across the county.
Councillor Jacqui Hodgson, Devon County Council’s Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Biodiversity, commented: “Devon County Council is pleased to be continuing its successful partnership with SUEZ.
“Building on our current significant achievements, we will see even more re-use, re-sale, repair and recycling across our network of Household Waste Recycling Centres, which are already one of the best performing in the Country.
Support for council’s reuse initiatives
According to Suez, re-use has been a key element of the existing arrangement.
SUEZ currently operates re-use shops at 17 of the 18 HWRCs in Devon. These sites have diverted more than 10,000 tonnes of material from disposal, returning items to use through resale.
Hodgson added: “It’s also great to see that SUEZ will be further enhancing their Social Value commitments including working with an abundance of local charities and community groups as well as offering training and employment opportunities to Devon Care Leavers as part of the Councils Corporate Parenting initiative.”
As part of these initiatives, Devon Council and Suez launched an electrical reuse hub in 2024.
The renewed contract also included continued support for the council’s wider waste strategy, including efforts to increase recycling rates and encourage repair and re-use in line with circular economy objectives.
‘Successful partnership’
John Scanlon, Chief Executive Officer for Suez, commented: “We’re delighted to retain the contract to manage 18 of Devon’s recycling centres and two transfer stations.
“This award is testament to a successful partnership and shared vision with the County Council.
“We look forward to continuing to work together to make the council’s ambition of a circular economy for Devon a reality.”
Recycling and recovery rates across the sites currently stand at around 80%, Suez confirmed.
Suez employs more than 147 people locally to deliver the contract and will continue to provide apprenticeships, training opportunities and employability initiatives as part of the agreement.
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