A council press officer confirmed this morning that SITA had been awarded the contract and that a full statement was being prepared. Other contenders for the contract are thought to have been FOCSA as well as a local company.
It is still unclear whether the contract will see Resourcesaver continuing to provide a kerbside collection service for Bristol on behalf of SITA. Resourcesaver is a subsidary of Resource Holdings which in turn is linked with Avon Friends of the Earth. The city council has been looking for a “competitive price” for the overall contract according to local sources, partly because residents voted not to put up the council tax.
The kerbside recycling scheme which SITA currently runs for Bristol with Resourcesaver – is one of the biggest in the UK. It involves about 135,000 homes and has helped the council achieve a recycling rate of 13%.
Considerable efforts have been made to publicise recycling to residents through the Rubbish Revolution campaign which is a project run by the Recycling Consortium in partnership with Bristol City Council, Resourcesaver and with funding from the SITA Environmental Trust.
The new SITA contract is thought to contain a number of targets including 25% paper recycling within three years and other initiatives including improvements to civic amenity sites and the creation of two new sites. The development of plastics waste recycling and green/food waste composting is also called for.
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