The council has been carrying out a pre-tender phase for the new contract, including research and technical work to decide on the best way forward. Leeds will look to start the procurement process for the new contract sometime next year.
A spokeswoman for the council said: “The research being carried out will help us decide the details of what we want from the new contract. PFI is currently one of the options we are considering. It is likely to be summer next year before we begin tendering for the contract.”
The council is also drawing up a waste management strategy, which should be out by the end of this year.
Recycling
Leeds city council was originally planning on tendering a long term waste management contract in early 2004, while a tender was put out for the kerbside recycling collections and household waste sorting sites (see letsrecycle.com).
However, the council has since back-tracked on its plans for the contract, citing the need for more evaluation before a long term contract can be pursued.
The spokeswoman explained: “The tendering process which was started last year for a 25-year contract to manage the city's recyclable waste was withdrawn. It was decided that further research would be beneficial into the type and extent of the contract to ensure we obtain the best service and the best value for the people of Leeds.”
Leeds has said that it recycled 19.5% of its domestic waste in 2004/05, but is already expecting a figure of 23% for the 2005/06 period. A total of 230,000 households in the city have access to a monthly kerbside recycling scheme, which encompasses paper, cardboard, cans, tins and plastic bottles.
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