Waste company lands £144m contract for city

The council is planning to move to using wheeled bins next year

A waste management company has been handed a £144m contract to run services for a council for eight years.

Suez Recycling and Recovery UK will take over recycling, waste and street cleansing services for Southend-on-Sea City Council from Veolia.

The £18m a year contract includes providing alternate bi-weekly collections for waste and recycling, alongside the management of two recycling centres.

Suez will also manage the transition to a full wheeled-bin collection scheme from October 2025, instead of the current waste sacks.

The council said a partially electric street cleansing fleet, use of recycled vegetable oil for all plant machinery and route optimisation to lower vehicle mileage would contribute to cutting emissions.

Improvements are also planned to Southend's two waste and recycling centres to boost the city's recycling rate, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Lydia Hyde, the Labour councillor responsible for environment and waste, said there would be a "transitional period" from April to ease residents into the changes.

"This administration has made a commitment to rebuilding pride in our city, and I look forward to working closely with Suez UK to help achieve this with an excellent new recycling and waste service that works for all residents," she said.

"We recognise that the move to alternate weekly collections and the introduction of wheeled bins is a significant adjustment for residents.

"We want residents to understand the new scheme and how collections will work, and so we will be providing lots of information and engaging with residents throughout the transition period."

John Scanlon, chief executive of Suez, said: "We look forward to embarking on this new partnership which will roll out new customer service benefits for residents, together with an ambitious strategy to help the council realise its carbon neutral aspirations, increase recycling rates and deliver lasting benefits for the local community."

The council said Veolia staff would have the opportunity to move over to the new contractor.