The two councils and Suez have been in partnership for almost 25 years and have provided recycling services to residents – as well as having run the Tees Valley household waste recycling centre (HWRC).
The new contract extension also included plans to open a reuse shop this April at the Tees Valley HWRC. The shop will sell second-hand items at “affordable prices” to attempt to prevent unnecessary waste.
According to Suez’s “Repair, Re-use, Reform – How to accelerate Progress to a Circular Economy” report, UK households and businesses throw away two million tonnes of electrical appliances every year and discard 70 million different household items worth more than £2 billion.
Steve Atkinson, regional manager at Suez, said: “We’re delighted to be extending the contract with our partners at Middlesbrough and Stockton-on-Tees councils.
“Through our strong working relationships, we look forward to continuing our work in improving recycling rates by diverting more items through reuse and away from waste. Not only will the shop offer fantastic bargains, but it will also benefit the planet and our environment.”
Suez will also make a number of upgrades to Tees Valley HWRC’s existing infrastructure and welfare facilities. These include the replacement of the gatehouse, welfare cabins and 360-degree material handler.
Councillor Clare Besford, cabinet member for environment and transport at Stockton-on-Tees council, said: “We have worked in partnership with Suez for almost 25 years to provide a household waste recycling centre for our residents and are pleased this partnership has now been extended to 2031, helping us to work towards our targets to increase recycling rates in the Borough, help the environment and save money in the long term.
“We are also excited to be able to offer a Re-use shop to residents in the near future, allowing the repurposing of items which otherwise would have been disposed of.”
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