Once the final contract is fully sealed and signed, the three-year deal would see Verdant collecting green waste from June 5. The service will be a charged, fortnightly scheme using wheeled bins rather than the eco-sacks used on the scheme being replaced.
” People are becoming more attuned to doing their bit for the environment, and we are confident that residents will help the new scheme. “
– Roger Edwards, Verdant
Householders on the new scheme will pay 55p per week to have their green waste collected for recycling, although collections will be carried out every two weeks.
The first 4,000 householders to sign up to the scheme in May will be given their bins in advance of the start date and the council will extend the scheme as more of the district's 55,000 households sign up.
Collected waste will go to Agrivert's composting facility near Wallingford, with compost produced used on local farmland.
Cllr David Dodds, South Oxfordshire's cabinet member responsible for waste management, added: “Verdant's people impressed everyone throughout the selection process with their professionalism and commitment to customer care. I look forward to a long and fruitful partnership with them.”
Verdant
Verdant said the new scheme should help South Oxfordshire to improve its recycling rate, which was 25% in 2004/05.
A similar scheme run by the company for Arun district council has seen more than 6,000 households signing up, with about 2,000 tonnes of green waste handled in the first year of operation.
Commenting on the contract win, Verdant development director Roger Edwards said: “We know how to deliver an efficient, flexible service that becomes an integral part of residents' daily lives. People are becoming more attuned to doing their bit for the environment, and we are confident that residents will help the new scheme to make a meaningful contribution.”
Court case
Meanwhile, South Oxfordshire council is now awaiting the conclusion of a court case involving itself and former refuse contractors SITA UK.
SITA had a six-year contract with the council terminated four years early in 2001, after South Oxfordshire claimed it had breached the contract conditions. Collections have since been run by another firm, Grundon, but the council has been seeking more than 3 million in damages from SITA to compensate for the extra costs involved.
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Countering this claim, SITA is seeking 166,000 from the council concerning alleged non-payment of invoices from the contract.
South Oxfordshire technical project manager John Backley told letsrecycle.com the trial is expected to conclude by the end of next month.
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