Published: Thursday 19th November 2015 | 11.45am
Following a long procurement exercise, Cannock Chase Council is set to award the contracts for their waste collection service and organic garden waste disposal.
Subject to the statutory 10 day standstill procurement requirements the Council intend to award the contract for the disposal and treatment of organic garden waste to Jack Moody Ltd; with Biffa Municipal Ltd being awarded the contract for waste collection; this includes residual and food waste, garden waste and dry recycling.
These new contracts will mean that in the New Year residents will no longer be able to put their food waste in the brown bin. The service change has been recommended to start from 1 February 2016 which will give residents enough time to get used to the changes when the new contracts come into place in April 2016
The Council currently collects garden and food waste together. However, this has to be recycled through ‘in vessel’ composting. The costs of processing the garden and food waste together is more than double the cost of ‘wind row’ composting which could be used if garden waste was collected alone.
A number of Councils have recently taken food waste out of their garden and food waste to save money on disposal including Lichfield and Tamworth Councils. Stafford Borough and South Staffs do not operate a separate food waste service.
The awarding of the contracts for the waste collection service and organic garden waste disposal will see the Council saving £308,240 per annum compared to the current cost of the service and comes at a time when the Government’s November Spending Review will announce further reductions in Government Support for the next four years.
Councillor Alan Dudson, Environment Portfolio Leader said “Following a long procurement process we are now in a position to award the contracts. There will be some changes that residents will have to make in the New Year with the way they recycle, but these new contracts mean that the Council is saving a lot of money.
With Government cuts we are constantly looking at ways to save money without cutting services to residents in the District and this is another way that we can ensure that residents keep their alternate weekly refuse collections.
However I would remind people to take care once the revised service is introduced in February 2016. As any food waste that goes into the brown bin will cause contamination and will incur costs for the taxpayer.”
Once the changes are in place residents will also be given the opportunity to request a free home composter as an alternative way of disposing of their food waste.
Both contracts will take effect from 1 April 2016, subject to the contract stand still/ call in process.