Suez will take on the city’s collection services from outsourcing firm Serco from September. Existing Serco staff will transfer to Suez when the contract begins.
The contract is the second in a week that Suez has announced it has gained from a rival, after noting it had won a £152 million deal with the Mid Kent Waste Partnership from Biffa (see letsrecycle.com story).
According to a tender document published on 20 December 2021, the Milton Keynes contract is worth £300 million and could be extended by a further five years.
Once the deal begins, most of Milton Keynes’ 119,000 households will move to wheelie bins, after three-quarters of those who responded to a public consultation chose them over plastic sacks.
The council says the move will lead to less street litter, reduce the food supply for rodents and increase recycling rates.
Cllr Paul Trendall, Milton Keynes’ interim cabinet member for the public realm, said: “The new waste contract provides an excellent opportunity to modernise how we collect waste and recycling in Milton Keynes, based on feedback from local people.
“We’re working hard behind the scenes to make sure this massive logistical operation runs as smoothly as possible, and I look forward to seeing this new chapter in our city’s innovative recycling history become a reality.”
Wheelie bins
The council says more than 300,000 bins and accompanying waste vehicles will be manufactured and delivered to Milton Keynes by the summer.
The council approved plans to tender for a contract worth an estimated £5 million to procure 300,000 wheeled bins in December 2021 (see letsrecycle.com story).
Many of the new vehicles will be fully electric to reduce carbon emissions, the council says, and the CCTV-equipped fleet will include smaller and narrower vehicles to enable collection crews to pick up waste “more effectively”.
The council says the fleet will be better able to navigate confined and challenging areas, leading to fewer missed collections for residents.
Essential services
John Scanlon, Suez’s CEO, said his company was pleased to have secured the contract to deliver essential waste and environmental services to the people of Milton Keynes.
He said: “In partnering with such a progressive authority that shares our commitment to continuous improvement, we’re confident that together we can drive further improvements in the city’s recycling rate and in customer service for Milton Keynes’ residents.”
Mr Scanlon added: “We look forward to supporting the city in reducing carbon emissions and helping people recycle more confidently.”
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes produces around 121,000 tonnes of household waste and recycling each year, the council says, of which 52% is currently recycled.
Currently, residents have a clear recycling sack for dry recyclables, a blue box for glass and a green wheeled bin for garden and food waste, all of which are collected weekly. Residents also have a black bag for residual waste.
Milton Keynes initially signed a seven-year, £80 million waste and recycling collection contract with Serco in December 2008 (see letsrecycle.com story).
Cllr Trendall thanked Serco for 15 years of service to Milton Keynes, “including during the recent very challenging pandemic period.” He added: “Despite this, and periods of bad weather, Serco collected more than 99% of waste.”
Serco also recently lost a waste and recycling collection contract with the London borough of Havering to Cheltenham-based Urbaser (see letsrecycle.com story).
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