Local councils appoint Biffa to provide waste collection and street cleansing services

10th January

A new waste, recycling, beach and street cleaning contract will start in Hastings, Rother and Wealden from the end of June this year.

Biffa has been appointed to provide waste and recycling collection services to all households in these areas and to provide street cleaning in the Rother and Wealden areas.

Hastings will be providing its own street cleaning in-house, and all of the new arrangements will start on June 29.

The appointment of Biffa follows a robust procurement project conducted by Hastings, Rother and Wealden councils over the last year, following a mutually agreed early exit from the current contract with Kier Environmental Services.

Councillor Tony Ganly, Chair of the Joint Waste and Recycling Committee, said: “Collecting household waste and recycling and keeping our streets clean are essential public services, and all the councils are delighted that Biffa will be our contracting partner.

“As a specialist waste management company with a long history, Biffa’s company knowledge and experience provides us with confidence they will deliver an excellent quality of service to our residents.”

Simon Baddeley, Biffa Municipal’s Development Director, said: “We’re delighted to have been awarded the contract for waste collection, recycling and streets cleansing by the Joint Waste Partnership. We’ll be ensuring our brand new fleet will support a seamless handover from the current waste collection provider while continuing to deliver cost-effective services.

“We are also excited to be able to use our technology to provide not only a better service for members of the public, but also a safer one for drivers and residents. With the addition of 360-degree cameras to all of our frontline vehicles we will not only keep them safer, but also inspect streets more efficiently while operating the new street cleansing service.”

Under the current contract with Kier Environmental Services, which started in 2013, the nature of the waste and recycling environment has changed enormously.

The councils will work in partnership with the new contractor, Biffa to meet the service requirements expected by residents, employing a flexible approach to meet the challenges of the changing waste environment and legislation.

Waste and recycling collections and street and beach cleaning services are an essential public service provision. While local authorities are still facing significant financial challenges, the appointment of Biffa on a seven-year contract is welcomed by the councils.