The contract will see WRG take over the management of Suffolk's 18 sites from Viridor Waste Management on May 16 and lasts for seven years with a possible three year extension.
Improving the performance of HWRCs in Suffolk is one of the interim measures which Suffolk is pursuing to improve recycling and composting performance prior to the council developing long-term waste treatment capacity – likely to be an energy-from-waste plant – by 2014 (see letsrecycle.com story).
The move follows recommendations made to the council's Portfolio Holder by its Environment Waste Management and Economic Development Scrutiny Committee in 2006 on how the sites might be improved – including the need for some sites to be relocated to more convenient locations, incentives to staff to maximise recycling, clear and consistent signage and making all sites split-level.
Jim Meredith, chief executive of Waste Recycling Group, said: “We are very pleased indeed to have won this contract as it builds on our growing portfolio of the successful management of these kind of facilities.
“We are looking forward to working with the people of Suffolk in providing them with an improved service in which they can continue to respond to the need to recover ever more value from their waste. WRG has strong expertise in the management of public household waste recycling facilities, and we're confident that we will match, and exceed, the high expectations that Suffolk county council has for the management of their centres.”
Speaking on behalf of Suffolk Waste Partnership, councillor Eddy Alcock, portfolio holder for environment and waste management at Suffolk, said: “Suffolk is committed to increasing recycling and composting and we want the public to see this continued commitment to customer service and improved health and safety on site.
“I am pleased that WRG has been awarded the contract. WRG has shown a commitment and enthusiasm to improve levels of customer service. They are also committed to achieving an improvement in our current recycling levels and to achieving a level of 60% recycling and composting during the lifetime of the contract.”
He added: “We are now working with WRG and our current contractor to ensure there will be no disruption of service to the public during the handover period of the new contract.”
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