The three-year recycling deal is part of a wider 9.5 million contract also including street and beach cleansing. However, while the other components of the contract will run for six years, the kerbside recycling collection component will come to an end after three years to bring it in line with the council's waste management contract.
Onyx has been working with the council since 1990, but the new contract was won through a competitive tender process involving five other companies.
The kerbside collection covers 64,000 properties in the district, and has helped the council increase its recycling rate from 8.9% to 15.6% in the last year.
Michael Talbot, environment portfolio holder at Tendring council, said the new kerbside contract will allow the council to invest in recycling when it suits them to increase rates even further.
He explained: “It is a flexible contract that will allow us to add to the existing service as and when funds are available and points the way forward to meeting our recycling target for 2005-06 which requires that 24% of household waste be diverted from landfill and recycled.”
The collection service covers 130 miles of streets and 27 miles of sea front. In the past, Onyx has dealt with clean-up operations for major events in the region including the Radio One Roadshow and the Clacton Air Show.
Onyx Environmental chief executive Cyrille du Peloux said: “We are very pleased that the partnership between Onyx and Tendring district council will continue and look forward to building on the progressive recycling programme which has proved such a success.”
Subscribe for free