Two East Sussex councils unite for paper contract

Lewes and Wealden district councils have signed a joint agreement with Aylesford Newsprint, which will see the East Sussex local authorities send 9,000 tonnes of recovered paper each year to the Kent-based paper processor.

Material collected from the two councils' kerbside collection services will be sent to Aylesford's reprocessing mill at West Malling in Kent, and the joint procurement is intended to provide a better economy of scale for paper collected in the respective regions.

Aylesford has previously worked with both local authorities, accepting paper from Lewes' bring banks and paper collecting from the kerbside in Wealden. The councils said the contract was also beneficial in terms of its carbon footprint as material would only travel around 45 miles to the Aylesford plant.

Mike Pashler, head of waste and commercial services at Wealden district council, said: “Wealden and Lewes district councils already work together in many areas of public service. The combined contract is the next logical step, helping us deliver higher efficiencies using an environmentally sound methodology.

“We are pleased to continue to work with Aylesford as it guarantees us a quality reprocessor as close as possible to our collection area, helping reduce the councils' fuel consumption and carbon footprint.”

Commenting on the proximity of the Aylesford site, Andy Bryce, head of waste and recycling at Lewes district council, said: “The environmental benefits of minimising the transport miles fits in well with our drive to improve the sustainability of all that we do. Aylesford is also accredited to ISO14001 which is something we require at Lewes district council.”

Both Lewes and Wealden district councils currently operate kerbside separate systems, covering 70,000 households across the two districts and, from 2011, Wealden is set to be expand its kerbside sort system by 21,500 more households to encompass more of the rural areas.

Lewes signed a four-year contract with Aylesford for its recycled paper in 2009, which is set to expire in September 2013 and is worth around £300,000 per year, while Wealden signed a five-year deal with the paper processor in October 2009.

Andrew Perkins, who heads the Aylesford Recycling Department, praised the work of the two East Sussex local authorities.

He said: “Aylesford enjoys a strong relationship with suppliers such as Wealden and Lewes district council who are as passionate about the quality of recycling as we are.

“The councils' commitment to the environment and their comprehensive approach results in high standards of recovered paper reprocessed more efficiently.”