Waste contract FAQs

Shropshire Waste Partnership and Shropshire’s new integrated waste management contract

Some frequently asked questions

Background

In Shropshire we produce around 180,000 tonnes of rubbish every year – which amounts to well over one tonne per household.

Most of this goes into holes in the ground called landfill sites, but these are filling up fast and we are running out of space to bury our rubbish. Landfill is also regarded as the least environmentally friendly way to dispose of our waste.

It is estimated that landfill space nationally will run out within the next nine years unless action is taken. By 2010 councils, and hence taxpayers, will face fines of up to £150 per tonne of rubbish that is sent to be dumped in landfill sites over a set quota.

In Shropshire we are recycling and composting more household waste than ever before but we can and must do more to meet government recycling targets, and to minimise the amount of household waste that ends up in landfill sites.

On this page you will find information about what is being done in Shropshire to address these issues.

(1) Shropshire’s integrated waste management contract

(a) What is Shropshire Waste Partnership?
Shropshire Waste Partnership (SWP) is the body responsible for collecting and disposing of household waste on behalf of the councils that are members of the Partnership - namely Bridgnorth District Council, North Shropshire District Council, Oswestry Borough Council, Shropshire County Council and South Shropshire District Council. Shrewsbury & Atcham Borough Council is not a member of the SWP.

(b) What is the integrated waste management contract?
Since 2003 SWP has been procuring a long-term integrated waste management contract, which initially saw four companies bid to manage Shropshire’s household waste. To help pay for the contract, Shropshire Waste Partnership has been granted £40.8m of Private Finance Initiative (PFI) credits towards the cost of the contract, which is expected to last for 27 years.

On 30 August 2007, Shropshire Waste Partnership named Veolia Environmental Services as the ‘preferred bidder’ for contract. In September Veolia was confirmed as the winner of the contract, which began on 1 October 2007.

This means that Veolia has taken on responsibility for collecting, reducing, recycling, recovering and disposing of household waste on behalf of the councils in Shropshire Waste Partnership.

The company’s bid proposed a capital investment of more than £100m in waste infrastructure over the period of the contract, to support a fully-integrated strategy for managing Shropshire’s waste.

It put forward a number of proposals to enhance waste services across the four districts in the waste partnership, and to reduce the amount of household waste that is sent to landfill from 65 per cent in 2005/6 to just five per cent by 2015.

These proposals include:

(1) Increasing Shropshire’s recycling levels to more than 50 per cent by 2012.

(2) Introducing a kerbside plastic bottle collection service in all four districts (ie. not including Shrewsbury & Atcham) by 2010.

(3) Construction of two new integrated waste management facilities in Oswestry and Bridgnorth which will include household waste recycling centres and waste transfer stations. Subject to receiving planning permission, the Oswestry facility would be open by April 2009, and the Bridgnorth facility by April 2010.

(4) Construction of an in-vessel composting facility, which will allow the treatment of all compostable wastes, including all food waste – turning it into valuable, peat-free compost whilst increasing landfill diversion. A proposed site for the facility is yet to be agreed.

(5) Provision of an Energy Recovery Facility at Battlefield Enterprise Park in Shrewsbury that will eventually produce enough electricity from residual waste to power over 10,000 homes each year. Follow the link to the Energy Recovery Facility FAQs for more information.

The construction of each of the proposed new facilities (3, 4 and 5 above) would be subject to their following the appropriate planning process and receiving planning consent. Each would also need a permit to operate from the Environment Agency.

(c) Why Veolia Environmental Services?
Shropshire Waste Partnership believes that Veolia’s proposals offer the best solution to dealing with Shropshire’s waste in the most affordable and sustainable way.

Veolia has a great deal of experience in this area and the company has put forward exciting proposals to provide the best possible waste collection and disposal service to Shropshire residents, increase the amount of waste that is recycled in the county, and reduce the amount of waste that is sent to landfill sites.

Veolia Environmental Services is part of the Veolia Group and is the UK’s leading waste management company with 13,000 employees here and over 80,000 worldwide where it serves more than 45 million people across 35 countries.

(d) What will this contract mean for local residents?
From 1 October 2007 Shropshire Waste Partnership will be managing household waste and recycling services on behalf of Bridgnorth District Council, North Shropshire District Council, Oswestry Borough Council, Shropshire County Council and South Shropshire District Council.

Veolia Environmental Services will deliver these services on behalf of the Shropshire Waste Partnership for the duration of the contract, which is expected to last 27 years.

However, the only change residents are likely to notice is an improvement to their waste collection and disposal services - and a new telephone number to call with enquiries.

(e) What will the new contract mean for staff?
From 1 October 2007, collection crews, depot teams and recycling centre staff working for or on behalf of the councils in SWP will be officially employed by the new contractor. Office staff from the waste management teams at each of the partner councils will transfer to work for either Veolia or for Shropshire Waste Partnership in its new offices in Shrewsbury.

(2) Recycling and composting in Shropshire

(a) How are we doing?
In Shropshire we are recycling and composting more than ever before. In 2006/2007 Shropshire residents recycled or composted 38 per cent of their household waste – well above the government targets - and this figure is expected to rise.

But we know we can – and must – do even better to reduce the amount of waste that ends up in landfill sites.

(b) What is being done to increase recycling and composting levels in Shropshire?
Emphasis has been placed on providing residents with excellent services and facilities, and through effective communication with them about how, what, when and where to recycle.

The majority of residents can now recycle on their doorsteps using a kerbside recycling service, and three new household recycling centres have opened in the past four years in Craven Arms (2003), Whitchurch (2004) and Shrewsbury (2005).

Through the new waste contract, Veolia are obliged to increase this figure to over 50 per cent by 2012. This will be assisted by the two new household recycling centres planned for Oswestry and Bridgnorth under the new contract.

In addition the introduction of kerbside collection of plastic bottles in all districts by 2010 and a comprehensive waste minimisation and recycling education campaign will further increase recycling and landfill diversion.

Further information
We hope that the information on this page will help to answer any questions you may have. If you have any further questions, please email us by following the 'contact' link on this page.