Southend-on-Sea City Council has awarded SUEZ Recycling and Recovery UK an eight-year contract worth £18 million annually to deliver recycling, waste, and street cleansing services.
From April 2025, SUEZ will assume responsibility for recycling and waste collections from Southend's 85,500 households, alongside the management of two Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs), a transfer station, and the city's street cleansing operations.
The contract will include the transition to a full wheeled bin collection scheme with collections from October 2025 which will reduce the environmental impact and cost of managing Southend's non-recyclable waste by driving up recycling.
The contract will enhance customer service for people living in the city, with a series of innovations to help people access information about their services and keep track of their collection schedule - including a new Resident App, compatibility with Alexa and a dedicated website.
Sustainability will be at the forefront of the contract with an annual commitment to decrease CO2 emissions by more than 4,000 tonnes, helping Southend-on-Sea City Council to achieve its carbon neutral aspirations by 2030. Drawing on the latest technology, a partially electric street cleansing fleet, use of recycled vegetable oil (HVO) for all plant machinery and route optimisation to lower vehicle mileage will all contribute to cutting emissions.
Improvements to Southend's two HWRCs will also help to boost the city's recycling rate - local people will be able to recycle a wider range of items at the two sites and the reuse shop at Stock Road will be revived and joined by a brand-new shop at Leigh Marshes.
100% of profits from both shops will go to a local charity partner, supporting the valuable services it provides to the local community as part of the social value offering from SUEZ recycling and recovery UK.
Councillor Lydia Hyde, cabinet member for climate, environment and waste, said: "I am delighted to announce, subject to contract, SUEZ UK as our preferred bidder for the new recycling, waste collection and street cleansing contract starting on 5 April 2025. The new scheme will start from October 2025, and there will be a transitional period to support residents ahead of collections changing.
"This administration has made a commitment to rebuilding pride in our city, and I look forward to working closely with SUEZ UK to help achieve this with an excellent new recycling and waste service that works for all residents. This includes introducing exciting innovations that will make our streets cleaner and support residents to recycle more.
"We recognise that the move to alternate weekly collections and the introduction of wheeled bins is a significant adjustment for residents. We want residents to understand the new scheme and how collections will work, and so we will be providing lots of information and engaging with residents throughout the transition period. In the meantime, reducing black bag waste and increasing recycling rates is vital, so please keep on recycling everything you can, including your food and garden waste and reducing black bag waste.
"Finally, I would like to thank Veolia UK for their commitment and dedication to Southend-on-Sea over the last nine years. I am pleased that staff will have the opportunity to move over to the new contractor and can continue their important work keeping our streets clean."
John Scanlon, chief executive officer for SUEZ recycling and recovery UK, said: "We are thrilled that SUEZ has been given this opportunity to provide recycling, waste, and street cleansing services for Southend-on-Sea City Council from 2025. We look forward to embarking on this new partnership which will roll out new customer service benefits for residents, together with an ambitious strategy to help the Council realise its carbon neutral aspirations, increase recycling rates and deliver lasting benefits for the local community. We are excited to get started and deliver for the people of Southend."
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