May Gurney is confident it will achieve a smooth transition when it takes over Bristol city councils waste and recycling collection service from current contractor SITA UK next month.
The services company this month said it was on track to achieve a seamless takeover when it begins running the councils collections on November 1, having worked closely with the local authority to prepare for the changeover.
May Gurney beat off competition from both SITA UK and Veolia Environmental Services to win the high-profile collection deal in July 2011 (see letsrecycle.com story). The contract, which runs for seven years with the option of a seven year extension, is worth around 14 million a year.
Last week, the company said it was all set to take over the service, having worked closely with Bristol city council over the last few months to ensure everything goes as planned when it takes over running the service.
Neal Willis, regional operations director for May Gurneys environmental services arm, said: May Gurney provides similar recycling and refuse collections to 22 local authorities, covering more than 2.2 million households across the UK.
As such, he said, we are confident the people of Bristol will find the new service useful and that it will help them do even more to protect the planet and reduce their impact on the environment.
Phases
May Gurney plans to make a number of service changes under the contract but they will be introduced in phases, with all services and collection days remaining as they are until November 28.
Then, when Bristol will retain kerbside sorting of recycling, the period between January and June 2012 will see more materials added to the list of those collected. By July 2012, all householders will be able to recycle mixed plastics and Tetra Paks at the kerbside using a newly-provided 55 litre green box.
Cardboard will also go in this box, alongside aerosols, cans and foil. Residents will use their existing black box for other materials such as glass, paper and textiles. Meanwhile, flats with limited space above shops a clear bag for all their dry recyclables.
May Gurney is also replacing the existing black wheeled bins used for householders residual waste with a smaller 180 litre bin to further encourage recycling. Bristol stressed that the combined volume of the new bin, existing food waste bin and black box and new green bin will actually be greater than the existing containers used.
Bristol city council
Bristol city councils cabinet member for strategic waste, councillor Gary Hopkins, said: This is the result of two years hard work and detailed planning and we are delighted its now ready to roll out.
This is a flagship contract that sets high standards for the new contractor to achieve as well as financially incentivising them to find ways to further increase our recycling and reduce household waste. It brings a more comprehensive doorstep recycling service to residents, and at the same time, saves millions of pounds of council taxpayers money every year.
He added: We are pleased to be working with May Gurney, who have made it clear to us that they are keen to help make Bristol a more sustainable city and ensure we meet our ambitious waste targets.
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