Starting this month, the contract will see Viridor handle around 17,000 tonnes of commingled recyclables collected from 18 wards across the Bournemouth area per year.
The materials, which include paper, card, mixed plastics, cans and glass, will be sent for processing at Viridor’s materials recycling facility (MRF) at Crayford in Kent.
The contract, the value of which remains undisclosed, follows a previous deal signed six years ago between the council and Viridor to process recyclables, which are sorted at two waste transfer stations within the county before being sent on to Kent.
The interim contract is due to run until the end of July 2016 when the council is expected to hand operations over to its own MRF, which will process dry recyclables on behalf of Bournemouth and the Dorset Waste Partnership.
The facility, which is currently under development, has received £14 million in funding from the Department for Communities and Local Government under its Weekly Collection Support Scheme.
‘Ongoing relationship’
Simon Prior, commercial manager for Viridor, said: “We are very pleased to continue our ongoing relationship with Bournemouth borough council. We have been helping them to recycle for many years and we look forward to continuing to do so for the future.
“This has given us more opportunities to continue on in our quest to give the world’s resources new life and help Bournemouth borough council improve their recycling rates.”
Reg Hutton, head of operations for Bournemouth council’s Street Services, added: “We are working hard to ensure we send as little rubbish as possible to landfill in order to protect the environment and reduce our disposal costs. Through awareness-raising campaigns, the commitment of Bournemouth residents to recycling and the provision of efficient waste and recycling services, 91% of our household waste is reused, recycled or recovered.
“We look forward to continue working with Viridor during this period to improve our recycling rates and maintain the comprehensive service for residents.”
In 2012, the council also began accepting mixed plastics – such as pots tubs and trays – in its kerbside collection service (see letsrecycle.com story).
In July 2014, Viridor also successfully extended its contract to process recyclables and refuse on behalf of neighbouring Poole borough council (see letsrecycle.com story).
Poole also sends its dry recyclables to the Crayford MRF after provisions for a local 35,000 tonnes-per year capacity recycling facility were ditched in 2009.
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