The contract award follows Bristol city council’s termination of its waste and recycling services contract with Kier in June 2015 – three years earlier than planned – due to falling recycling rates (see letsrecycle.com story).
Currently the city operates a kerbside sort system with green box for cartons, cardboard, plastic and metals, and a black box for batteries, glass, textiles and paper, both collected weekly from Bristol’s 189,000 households.
Food waste is also collected weekly, as well as garden waste which is subject to a subscription charge. Residual waste is collected fortnightly. None of the collection arrangements are due to change as a result of the change in contract.
Integration
Bristol Waste has already been in charge of collections in the city for 12 months – but the extension will see the business take on increased responsibilities. Collection and disposal of waste in Bristol was previously procured separately, but the council’s decision will now see Bristol Waste Company responsible for the entire process.
Under the terms of the agreement BWC will be responsible for:
- Waste collection, street cleansing and winter maintenance
- Communication, education and customer engagement
- The council’s household waste and recycling centres
- Waste treatment and disposal
- The sale of recyclable material
- Waste and recycling collection from council premises
Responsibility for enforcement will continue to lie with the council, which will work closely with the arm’s-length organisation to enable prosecution of waste criminals.
Marvin Rees, Mayor of Bristol, commented that the integration of the city’s waste services would achieve his ‘Clean Streets Campaign’ to reduce flytipping and increase recycling rates.
‘Ambitious’
He said: “We have been given a real opportunity to make a difference to Bristol’s streets, and after considering all the facts, we believe that Bristol Waste Company offer us the best chance to achieve our ambitious goals for the city.
“There is a lot of work to be done, but we hope that a ten year contract will allow us the stability to make serious progress towards tidying up our streets.”
Incorporated in March 2015, Bristol Waste Company is wholly-owned by Bristol Holding Company Limited, a company which itself is wholly owned by Bristol city council.
As part of the agreement the company will be required to submit an annual business plan and its performance will be monitored against a set of performance measures.
Tracey Morgan, managing director of Bristol Waste Company, said: “The whole team at Bristol Waste is delighted to have been awarded this contract.
“We look forward to working in partnership with communities across the city to increase recycling, reduce waste and keep our streets free from litter,” she added.
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