Shropshire Council has to deal with about 160,000 tonnes of waste every year – over one tonne per household. Although we are one of the best areas for recycling in the UK, a lot of this still gets buried in the ground. Landfill is the least environmentally friendly way to dispose of waste. Furthermore councils, and hence taxpayers, could face fines if we continue to landfill too much rubbish.
Shropshire’s waste management contract
Between 2003-07 the Council carried out detailed negotiations with a variety of companies to find a solution to these problems. This resulted in the awarding of a 27 PFI year contract to Veolia Environmental Services Ltd (VES).
This means that VES has taken on responsibility for collecting, recycling, and disposing of household waste on behalf of Shropshire Council. VES propose upfront capital investment of more than £100m in waste infrastructure over the period of the contract.
The main basis of the contract is that VES must reduce the amount of household waste that is sent to landfill, so that by 2020 they are landfilling only 35% of what was landfilled in1995 (as required by the EU Landfill Directive).
Their proposals to deliver this include:
1. Increasing Shropshire’s recycling levels to more than 52.5 per cent by 2012.
2. Introducing a kerbside plastic bottle recycling collection service across Shropshire by the end of 2010.
3. Construction of two new integrated waste management facilities in Oswestry and Bridgnorth by the end of 2010.
4. Construction of an in-vessel composting facility, which will allow the treatment of all compostable wastes, including all food waste – allowing food waste collections across Shropshire by 2012.
5. Construction of an Energy from Waste facility (EfW) at Battlefield Enterprise Park in Shrewsbury - this would burn general rubbish to produce electricity.
Why Veolia Environmental Services?
Shropshire Council felt that VES offered the most economical solution to dealing with Shropshire’s waste in an affordable and sustainable way.
Further information
If you have any further questions about the waste contract, please contact us via the details on this page.