The renewed deal, worth £22.7 million over its duration, comes just days after the Essex-based council recorded an overall provisional recycling rate of 65.49% in 2013/14 – the second highest result in England (see letsrecycle.com story).
The local authority, which operates a three-bin system for residual, garden and food waste, has topped the recycling league table for councils in England twice since SITA UK began its seven-year tenure in April 2008, coming top in 2010/11 and 2012/13 with 66% on both occasions.
As part of the original deal, the waste firm introduced green waste collections, 240-litre wheeled recycling bins and increased the number of materials that could be recycled in the borough. The deal also included alternate weekly collections of refuse and recycling as well as bulky waste and WEEE collections.
Under the extension, which begins in April 2015, all services currently provided by SITA UK are to be retained, but more resources and new equipment will be deployed for street cleansing services.
Incentives
Speaking to letsrecycle.com in December last year, Rochford council confirmed it was considering incentives to boost its rate further – and aims to achieve a 70% recycling rate by 2016.
Commenting on the renewed contract, SITA UK chief executive officer, David Palmer-Jones said he was proud that Rochford had achieved last year’s top recycling rate under the firm’s watch.
He said: “Naturally, we’re very pleased to have the opportunity to continue our relationship with Rochford District Council for another seven years and we look forward to further improving on the excellent level of service that the residents of the district have come to expect.
“We are very proud to serve the local authority that currently has the highest recycling rate in the country and look forward to helping the residents of Rochford stay amongst the country’s top performers in years to come.”
Rochford district council’s portfolio holder for the environment, councillor Keith Gordon, added: “Rochford district council is pleased to extend its contract with SITA UK for waste management until 2022.
“We have been very happy with the excellent work SITA UK has undertaken to help us maintain our status as the top recycling authority in England. We hope we can continue building on the accomplishments of the last seven years and achieve even greater success in the future.”
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