Set to begin on 1 April 2022, the deal will be for an initial three-year period with the potential for two one-year extensions.
According to a tender document published on 21 December, the contract is worth nearly £10 million.
There are approximately 128,040 households across the authorities’ service areas.
A spokesperson for Redcar & Cleveland told letsrecycle.com: “Redcar and Cleveland council and Middlesbrough council have not always carried out processing and recycling jointly.
“However, the decision was taken to jointly procure a new recycling contract in an attempt to maximise value for money for both councils, through increased tonnages by procuring together.
“This is the second recycling contract that has been jointly procured between the two councils.”
Cumbria county council-owned Cumbria Waste Management was one of three companies to submit a tender for the contract.
Neither Redcar & Cleveland nor Middlesbrough have worked with Cumbria Waste Management before, though the local authorities said they were “pleased” to have awarded the company the contract.
The two councils are also part of the seven planning to build a £2.2 billion energy from waste (EfW) in Redcar (see letsrecycle.com story).
Redcar & Cleveland
Representing 64,980 households, Redcar & Cleveland borough council had a household waste recycling rate of 37.3% in the 2020/21 financial year.
The council collects paper and cardboard separately alongside a comingled waste stream, which includes steel cans, mixed plastic bottles, aluminium cans, glass, mixed metals, and hard plastics.
The spokesperson for Redcar & Cleveland told letsrecycle.com there were no current plans to introduce changes to the waste and recycling services it provided following the award of the contract.
However, they said they were aware that the government was going to require changes to services following the passing of the Environment Act and so were waiting for “further information”.
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough council represents 63,060 households and had a household waste recycling rate of 28.6% in the 2020/21 financial year.
The council collects commingled paper, card, cardboard, glass bottles and jars, mixed cans, plastic bottles, foil, and cartons.
Cumbria
Ultimately owned by Cumbria county council but run by an independent board of directors, Cumbria Waste Management is one of the Cumbria Waste Group’s four trading divisions.
Operational for more than 25 years and with more than 5,000 customers, the company operates four materials recycling facilities (MRFs), a liquid waste treatment plant, two landfill sites, an aggregate recycling plant, a quarry, and a hazardous waste transfer station.
Cumbria Waste Management employs 280 staff at 20 locations across Cumbria and operates a fleet of more than 50 vehicles.
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