Under the contract with the East Sussex Joint Waste Partnership, which was finalised last week (December 5), Kier will be responsible for the collection of waste and recycling, street cleansing and beach cleaning for the four councils Eastbourne borough, Hastings borough, Rother district and Wealden district. East Sussex county council worked with the partnership throughout the procurement process.
There will be a phased start to the contract with Kier taking over services in Eastbourne and Wealden in April 2013 followed by Hastings in July 2013 and Rother in April 2014.
Service
Kier will operate an alternate weekly collection service which will see residual waste collected one week and commingled dry recyclables the next. Glass will be collected separately. The firm will also offer residents for charged for fortnightly collection of green waste. This will be free in Wealden.
The contract covers nearly 200,000 households over a 550 square mile area. It is hoped to save the councils up to £30 million over the life of the ten year contract, which has the option to extend for a further ten years.
The councils established a Joint Waste Committee in summer 2011, with the aim of joining together waste collections across the four boroughs in order to improve the quality of the service as well as reducing costs. The partnership said the move was the largest of its kind between the authorities and was brought about as the councils look to find savings in a difficult financial climate.
Success
Commenting on the contract, Councillor Gill Mattock, chair of the joint waste committee, said: “This is a fantastic success story and a terrific testament to the benefits of joint working. The signing of the Joint Waste Contract will prompt other councils up and down the UK to look more closely at opportunities to work in partnership with neighbouring authorities, particularly in the area of waste collections and recycling. I am very proud that Eastbourne, Hastings, Rother and Wealden are at the forefront of this new approach.”
Nicola Peake, managing director of Kier Environmental, said: “These are exciting times in East Sussex and we are delighted to have been entrusted by the joint waste partnership to deliver vital frontline services to the councils. In addition to providing substantial cost savings and satisfying the Councils and residents needs, a desire to leave a lasting legacy of environmental and social sustainability will be central to our approach.”
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