The £126 million contract has now been signed and will run for an initial 14 years, with the possibility of an additional 7-year extension.The contract will see the three existing collection arrangements in operation in Cheshire West and Cheshire transformed over a 12-month period.
Phase one begins in the former Vale Royal Area in June 2012 before spreading out to the former Ellesmere Port and Nester area in August and finally incorporating the former Chester District area in November 2012.
The new harmonised collection service is based upon a kerbside-sort system, allowing residents to recycle glass bottles and jars, mixed paper, cardboard, food and drinks cans, aluminium foil, mixed plastic food packaging, textiles, food and beverage cartons, household and car batteries, spectacles, small electrical items, mobile phones, used cooking and engine oil, shoes, printer cartridges, garden waste and kitchen waste, from their doorsteps.
Councillor Lynn Riley, executive member for community and environment at Cheshire West and Chester council, said: The new contract will deliver the most innovative, accountable and customer-led service possible. By treating recyclable waste as a valuable resource May Gurney can deliver a new service maximising the quality of materials it collects, getting the best possible price for them, which in turn will keep the cost to the taxpayer down.
Savings
The council also anticipates large savings as a result of signing the contract. Cllr Riley said: The new contract will provide savings of over 50m over the 14 years, almost double the target set by members at the beginning of the procurement process.
Food waste, which comprises around a third of residual waste, will be collected separately and recycled instead of going to landfill. Residents will receive a 23-litre kitchen waste caddy for disposal of food waste, which will be collected weekly.
Cllr Riley said: Effective communication between partners and residents will be vital to the success of the new service, and a full awareness plan will take place in each area as part of every phase. To keep residents up to date with the latest developments we are also introducing a new e-newsletter which residents can sign up to receive.
Residents existing brown wheeled bins will be collected as part of the transformation and a new 180-litre grey wheeled bin will be delivered for the collection of household waste which will be carried out on a fortnightly basis. A number of the bins currently in use for household collections will need to be replaced to make way for the new system, but the council has revealed that these will be recycled into new products. The income generated from this initiative will be used to offset the cost of the contract.
Commenting on the contract, May Gurney chief executive Philip Fellowes-Prynne, said: We are delighted to be working with Cheshire West and Chester council to provide its recycling and waste collection service. We have the expertise and experience to help them deliver their targets and look forward to delivering a high quality service that not only helps residents recycle as much as possible but helps the local environment, economy and community.
Customer service
The council has pledged to keep customer service at the heart of the new scheme, introducing an assisted collection service for less-mobile residents as well as setting setting out a number of performance priorities to aim for, including many key issues highlighted by residents. These include reducing the number of missed collections, returning containers after collection and clearing spilled waste. Failure to target these areas by May Gurney could result in a financial penalty.
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