Gloucestershire takes divided approach to waste contracting

The county council and its districts are beginning work on a new Joint Municipal Waste Management Strategy, with an early public consultation workshop being held this Wednesday (March 22).

” Big contracts do not suit waste management, big pieces of kit need to stand alone. “
– Mike Williams, Gloucestershire CC
Ultimately, the new strategy will detail a proposed technology for dealing with the county's residual waste, but at this stage the council is merely engaging key stakeholders and interested residents on their opinions.

This summer, the council is to review in more detail the possible technologies available for the treatment of the annual 310,000 tonne of municipal waste generated in Gloucestershire.

But whichever technology is chosen, the council has said it will run the residual treatment contract separately to its other waste disposal contracts.

Procurement
Mike Williams, strategic waste manager at Gloucestershire county council, said: “Big contracts do not suit waste management, big pieces of kit need to stand alone. It makes sense for the procurement and funding process.

“We have already started the procurement phase for our landfill, in-vessel and CA site management – we are looking to secure a 10-year contract. That contract will then run alongside a treatment contract and provisions will be made for the alternative disposal of waste,” he added.

Gloucestershire abandoned its search for a 25-year integrated waste management contract in September last year, after deciding that bids from Cory and Shanks presented “too much risk without guaranteeing landfill diversion targets” (see letsrecycle.com story).

The county council is now reviewing the strategy it issued in 2002. Mr Williams explained: “A lot has changed since our current strategy was signed, and it needs to be brought in line with the government's thinking on waste. There is no point having a strategy that is out of kilter with the national direction.”

Following the event on Wednesday the county council will hope to have a draft strategy approved by its districts by the summer. This will then go out to consultation with residents in late summer.