SITA UK has today (March 22) been named as the winner of the prestigious contract to handle waste and recycling for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The company is understood to have fought off tough competition from fellow French-owned waste management company Veolia ES to secure the multi-million pound deal, which is set to involve providing waste services across up to 40 venues during the course of the Games.
Details of exactly what the contract will involve are not yet available from the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG), which awarded the deal, or SITA UK.
But, LOCOGs announcement of the award notes that, with 19 days of competition across 34 venues for the Olympics and 11 days of competition across 21 venues, the waste requirements for the Games require significant resource.
LOCOGs chief executive, Paul Deighton, said: The work done by our catering, cleaning and waste contractors will be largely unsung by many, but is vital and everyone in the organising committee recognise their vital role in delivering the Games.
This is a massive piece of project management, but with these companies on board we are well set to deliver Games that the country can be proud of.
Frontrunner
SITA UK emerged as a frontrunner for the London 2012 contract in November 2010 (see letsrecycle.com story), ahead of Veolia, which has already been involved in providing waste services for the construction stage of the Games (see letsrecycle.com story).
SITA UK has a track record of working at major events, having provided waste and recycling solutions to the 2010 Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham and the 2010 Notting Hill Carnival as well as local government conferences.
Under the Olympics contract, it will have a key role to play in contributing to LOCOGs ambition to host the greenest games ever, including potentially sending zero waste to landfill.
The Olympic and Paralympic Games run from July 27 to September 9 2012.
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