Havering Council Awards New Waste and Recycling Contract to Urbaser Ltd

Havering Council has announced that its new waste and recycling collection contract has been awarded to Urbaser Ltd.

The new eight-year contract was due to start this summer but will now begin from 22 October 2023, and Urbaser Ltd will take on the current in-house street cleansing service, as well as the existing outsourced waste and recycling and weed control services.

The agreement will also include the green garden waste collection service, fly-tipping clearance, graffiti cleaning and collection of clinical and bulky waste.

Havering’s existing Street Cleansing staff, as well as those from the current waste collection contractor, will be fully supported as they transfer over to Urbaser Ltd at the start of the new contract.

The contract will cost £90 million over the eight years – with the option to extend for a further eight at a cost of £180 million in total.

As well as continuing with weekly waste and recycling collections, it will also see an improved recycling offer – with glass being added to orange recycling collections for the first time.

The range of plastics collected in the orange recycling bags will also increase to include pots, tubs, and trays.

The contract will also offer a range of environmental improvements including a new fleet of over 70 waste, recycling and street cleansing vehicles, over 20% of which will be electric powered, and more than 50 items of plant or equipment. The electric component includes vans, compact and pedestrian sweepers, and caged tippers. Urbaser has also committed to planting 25 ‘established’ trees per year, equating to 200 trees over the contract term.

The carbon emissions generated by the non-electric vehicles, such as waste and recycling collection vehicles will be offset using accredited Carbon Capture schemes in the UK and as a result, the contract will be net zero emissions. Urbaser has selected vehicles that have OEM approval for *Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) biofuel as a potential replacement for fossil diesel. This means at any point during the contract the vehicles can switch to HVO biofuel without any engine modifications.

Councillor Ray Morgon, Leader of Havering Council, said: “We’re delighted to be working with Urbaser Ltd to deliver our waste and recycling service. We know that our waste and recycling service along with street cleaning are among the services most valued by our residents. It’s important that with this new contract, we provide continuity of the high level of service that residents have come to expect. We’re pleased to be offering the collection of glass and more items that residents can recycle. We want to work together with Urbaser Ltd to help encourage our residents to recycle more and be able to reduce waste, which in turn, will help the environment.”

Urbaser is a leading global environmental management company, focused on sustainability and innovation, serving more than 70 million people in 21 countries through a network of more than 59,000 employees.

In the UK, Urbaser is a leading waste management company, offering a wide range of municipal, commercial, waste treatment and recovery services which are dedicated to conserving resources, reducing carbon emissions, and achieving a circular economy.

Javier Peiro, Managing Director of Urbaser UK, said: “We are thrilled to have been awarded this contract and look forward to building a long and prosperous relationship with Havering Council by providing an innovative and sustainable service that delivers significant social value and environmental benefits. Urbaser is excited to build upon our experience operating in London and the south-east of England to enhance the existing services provided across the London borough whilst meeting all Havering residents’ expectations.”