UPM paper deal set to net Surrey councils extra 2m

Two Surrey councils expect to generate up to 2 million in additional income after signing a two-year contract with paper manufacturer UPM for the sale of households recovered paper.

Guildford and Reigate & Banstead borough councils have joined forces for the deal, which involves mixed paper collected by the two local authorities being sent, after sorting, to be reprocessed at UPMs Shotton mill in North Wales.

The contract started last month, and Guildford alone expects to save 1 million over the course of the deal, having secured what it said was a competitive price for the material. Between the two councils, UPM expected to receive around 16,000 tonnes of paper a year.

It replaces the two councils previous arrangements for the sale of recovered paper. These involves Guildford selling paper on the spot market through SITA and Reigate & Banstead selling its material under what it termed an informal agreement with DS Smith Recycling.

Cllr Nick Sutcliffe, lead councillor for environmental services at Guildford, said: “By working together we have secured a competitive price for paper that will lead to a saving of 1million for Guildford borough council over the two year contract.

We, like many others, face a challenging financial future and we are committed to finding ways to improve services and reduce the costs to taxpayers.

Cllr Allen Key, executive member for clean communities at Reigate & Banstead, added: We are really pleased to be working with Guildford to make these savings. We are always seeking to do better for less and despite the financial pressures, will continue to maintain our services to a high standard.

In Guildford, paper and card are collected together on a weekly basis in a purple box, while residents can also recycle paper and card at bring sites. Meanwhile, in Reigate & Banstead, paper and card is collected alongside cans at the kerbside, using a black box, as well as at recycling centres borough-wide.

Under the arrangement with UPM, paper is being transported to one of UPMs external contractors for sorting before being sent to Shotton for reprocessing.

Commenting on the deal, Robbie Warden, recovered paper buyer for UPM said: Were delighted to offer industry-leading support to Guildford and Reigate Borough councils. Our commitment to UK local authority recycling is well recognised and we look forward to working with the councils.

Surrey Waste Partnership

The deal is the latest example of the joint working that is being developed by the Surrey Waste Partnership (SWP) a body which brings together the countys 12 local authorities.

All the SWP authorities have adopted their joint ‘Plan for Waste Management’, committing them to work towards a world class service with an ambitious target of 70% recycling by 2013/2014.

Partnership projects include work on composting, junk mail, mixed plastics and ‘bring’ recycling sites. Initial savings and benefits are starting to materialise, such as an anticipated 200,000 annual saving in garden waste processes for the SWP partners.