The contract, which has been awarded by the Dorset Waste Partnership, begins this month (August) and will run until 2024. Weymouth and Sherborne Recycling has been running HWRCs for the waste partnership since 2008.
According to the Waste Partnership the contract will deliver savings of up to £700,000 for Dorset councils in the first year of operation. A spokesperson for the DWP confirmed the contract is worth close to £50 million across its lifetime.
The Dorset Waste Partnership was established in 2011 and manages waste services for seven local authorities in the county. The partner councils are Christchurch borough council, Dorset county council, East Dorset district council, North Dorset district council, Purbeck district council, West Dorset district council, and Weymouth and Portland borough council.
HWRCs
There are 11 household waste recycling centres run by the DWP across the county. The DWP claims to have received 65,000 tonnes of household waste last year from the sites.
According to the DWP around 47,000 tonnes of this waste was recycled or composted. This includes:
- Green waste – 22,000 tonnes.
- Wood – 10,000 tonnes.
- Metal – 5,400 tonnes.
- WEEE – 3,113 tonnes
- Cardboard 2,227 tonnes.
Currently HWRCs in the county are open daily from 9am to 6pm during the summer period. However, the DWP confirmed winter operation will be in place at HRC’s from October 1, from then on these sites will be open daily from 10am until 4pm.
Contract
Councillor Anthony Alford, chairman of the DWP joint committee, said: “This new contract marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter in the longstanding partnership between W&S Recycling and the DWP.
“Not only will it deliver big savings over the next eight years, it demonstrates the value that we place on the hard work of the W&S staff, who we will continue to support and provide training for.
“The DWP is committed to delivering cost-effective services to Dorset residents, as well as ensuring as much of our waste is re-used and recycled as possible.”
Geoff Thompson, owner of W&S Recycling added: “We are working on some ambitious plans behind the scenes, which we’re very excited about. My aim is for other counties to look at our partnership as a shining example of how things should be done. I’m sure the DWP and W&S Recycling will have a bright future working together.”
The Dorset Waste Partnership has faced a series of challenges since it controversially went over its budget by more than £2.8 million in 2014/15 (see letsrecycle.com story). This led to the dismissal of the director Steve Burdis.
In a recent budget update, the organisation claimed it was in a ‘more optimistic financial position against the budget’ (see letsrecycle.com).
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