Sandwell council has today (November 9) announced the official signing of a £650 million contract with a consortium led by services firm Serco to deliver integrated waste and recycling services in the West Midlands local authority area.
The 25-year deal, which was officially finalised at a contract signing event held at Oldbury council house yesterday (November 8), will see the Serco-led consortium oversee the delivery of Sandwell's Waste Improvement Plan (WIP).
Under the contract, Sandwell aims to increase the range of materials collected at the kerbside for recycling, however the council has been keen to stress that weekly collections of residual waste will be maintained.
Alongside Serco, the bid also involves organics specialists Jack Moody, materials recycling facility (MRF) operator Pure Recycling and the operators of the Coventry incinerator, the Coventry & Solihull Waste Disposal Company.
Speaking after the contract signing, councillor Derek Rowley, cabinet member for safer neighbourhoods, said: “This partnership allows us to provide a first class service to the people of Sandwell. When fully operational, it will be among the very best in the country and I'm confident people across the borough will enjoy its benefits.”
Cllr Steve Eling, deputy leader and cabinet member for strategic resources at Sandwell, added: “This is excellent news not only because of the service it will provide, but also for the millions of pounds in financial penalties it will help the council save by not sending so much waste to landfill and reaching Government recycling targets.”
Consortium
The Serco-led consortium had been named as preferred bidder for the deal in August 2010, when its joint bid was chosen ahead of Birmingham-based waste management firm Biffa (see letsrecycle.com story).
Commenting on the official signing, Mike Boult, direct services managing director of Serco, said: “There has already been a significant amount of work carried out leading up to this day, in terms of the mobilisation of this major contract,” he said. “I am particularly encouraged to see how quickly the partnership has come together and we are already seeing signs of an excellent relationship developing.
“I am confident that the people of Sandwell will soon be benefiting from a range of new enhanced services, as we look forward to engaging with the local community and providing a top quality environmental service, along with our new colleagues and customers.”
Arrangements
Under the contract, the consortium will be charged with running Sandwell's household waste and recycling services, as well as street cleansing. Furthermore, it will be expected to develop a waste transfer station at the proposed Pikehelve ‘Eco Park'.
For householders, the contract means that fortnightly green waste collections will be extended to run all year round. Meanwhile, a single weekly collection day for both residual waste and recycling will be introduced along with a food recycling service.
The new service will rolled out across the borough between January 2011 and spring 2012. Sandwell council currently sends 34% of its waste to landfill. It aims to cut that amount to 5% by 2020.
The deal was procured without PFI-funding, with the West Midlands local authority opting not to use the government funding route for the long-term deal in 2008 (see letsrecycle.com story).
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