Rochford District Council has agreed to extend its waste collection and street cleansing contract with SITA UK by another seven years.
Originally signed in April 2008, SITA UK’s current contract obligates the company to provide residual waste, recycling and compostable material collections in the district, as well as street cleansing services, until March 2015.
However, the contract extension, worth a reported £22.7 million over its duration, will see the waste management company continue its services until March 2022.
It is expected that all services will be retained, but more resources and new equipment will be deployed for street cleansing services.
Part of the reasoning for extending the contract has been the increase in recycling rates. When SITA UK began its contract with Rochford District Council, it introduced weekly green waste collections, and increased the number of materials that could be recycled in the council’s co-mingled wheelie bins. The service also includes alternate weekly collection of residual/recyclable waste as well as bulky waste and WEEE collections. These changes helped increase the local recycling rate from under 20 per cent in 2008 to 66.7 per cent in 2012/13, putting the collection authority in the third highest position of Resource’s local authority league table, although many in the waste industry have now begun to question the wisdom of providing free green waste collections.
Speaking of the contract extension, Rochford District Council’s Portfolio Holder for the Environment, Councillor Keith Gordon, said: “We have been very happy with the excellent work SITA UK has undertaken to help us maintain our status as the top recycling authority in England. We hope we can continue building on the accomplishments of the last seven years and achieve even greater success in the future.”
SITA UK’s Chief Executive Officer, David Palmer-Jones, added: “Naturally, we’re very pleased to have the opportunity to continue our relationship with Rochford District Council for another seven years and we look forward to further improving on the excellent level of service that the residents of the district have come to expect.
“We are very proud to serve the local authority that currently has the highest recycling rate in the country and look forward to helping the residents of Rochford stay amongst the country’s top performers in years to come.”
Read more about recycling in Rochford District Council.
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