The contract will see the integration of the Oxfordshire district's waste collection and street cleaning contract, which ends in October 2003, and the district's recycling contract, which ends in March 2004.
The new contract will see Cleanaway taking over from Biffa Waste Services on October 5, 2003, and from ECT Recycling on April 1, 2004. It is worth between 2.75 and 3 million each year and is expected to run until at least October 2010.
The recycling rate for the district's 45,000 households is currently about 18%. The council is working towards a target of 29% by 2005-06, and this will involve the development with Cleanaway of a new waste strategy.
Commenting on the new contract, Councillor Tony de Vere said: “I am delighted to welcome Cleanaway as the latest partner to work with the council. I am particularly pleased that the tenders have resulted in a single contractor because that will enable us to work in partnership to develop the council's waste minimisation strategy.”
At the moment, community-based organisation ECT Recycling runs a green box kerbside collection service collecting cans, paper, plastic bottles, glass packaging. The council and Cleanaway have said their first priority will be to provide a smooth transition and high quality service based on the existing arrangements.
Steve Huxley, Cleanaway's UK managing director, said: “We look forward to forming a close working relationship with the council to provide a range of first class collection, recycling and cleansing services, which the local residents, businesses and visitors to the Vale rightly demand and deserve.”
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