Bucks Council announces £15 million, five-year contract with recycling company

The contract begins in April
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Bucks Council has announced a £15 million contract which will run for five years with a recycling company.

FCC Recycling has been entrusted to oversee operations on nine household recycling centres within the county.

Starting on April 1, the contract runs for five years, but there is an option to extend for a further five years, the council confirmed.

High Wycombe Recycling CentreHigh Wycombe Recycling Centre
High Wycombe Recycling Centre

Data provided by the council suggests that the centres receive over a million visits a year combined, and handle more than 60,000 tonnes of waste.

The council chose FCC as the winning bidder for the project at a cabinet meeting last month.

A council spokesperson advises the contract is worth £15 million rising to £28.5 million over ten years if the contract is extended.

Councillor Peter Strachan said: “With over a million visits a year, we know that our Household Recycling Centres are very important to Buckinghamshire residents.

"This new contract will continue to encourage everyone to recycle and reuse more, building on our current success with FCC and providing continuity as the new contract begins. They share our passion for customer service and value for money, so I’m confident that together we will work to deliver an excellent service, with strong environmental performance.”

Clauses in the contract the council highlighted include:

- A partnership with South Bucks Hospice to ensure more waste is reused from all sites through the shops at Aston Clinton and High Wycombe

-Hiring a waste awareness and education manager to support residents and the wider community to recycle and reuse more

-A target of recycling at least 68% of the waste brought to the sites

Steve Longdon, FCC operations director, said: “We have operated the facilities in Buckinghamshire since 2012 and we have worked hard during this time to deliver an exceptional service, so we are delighted to have been awarded the new contract to provide the management and operation of the nine household recycling centres.

"The new contract will allow us the flexibility to work with Buckinghamshire Council to embrace new ways of working focusing on the waste prevention, repair and reuse agenda that is vital if we are to meet our net zero targets as a nation.”