SITA has the existing contract and the kerbside recycling scheme which it runs for Bristol with Resourcesaver – the not-for-profit business set up in 1988 and supported by Avon Friends of the Earth – is one of the biggest in the UK. It involves about 135,000 homes and has helped the council achieve a recycling rate of 13%.
The kerbside recycling has been carried out with the support of the Rubbish Revolution which was launched as a three year campaign in November 1998 to help make everyone in Bristol think about the many waste reduction alternatives. The Rubbish Revolution campaign is a project run by the Recycling Consortium in partnership with Bristol City Council, Resourcesaver and the SITA Environmental Trust.
A spokeswoman for SITA confirmed the company had entered the race for the contract but declined to give any further details. It is unclear at this stage whether or not Resourcesaver will form part of the SITA bid or whether it will seek to work with another company if it were successful.
Among other likely bidders, Onyx declined to say whether it would submit a bid and Biffa and Viridor have confirmed they are not tendering. Other contenders for the work could include Cleanaway.
The contractor will have to achieve a number of targets which are thought to include 25% paper recycling within three years and other initiatives including improvements to civic amenity sites and the creation of two new sites. The development of plastics waste recycling and green/food waste composting is also called for.
With the contract starting in August this year a shortlisting of two companies is possible by the end of March.
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