Over the coming weeks, Elmbridge Borough Council, Mole Valley District Council, Surrey Heath Borough Council and Woking Borough Council will be considering a report that recommends starting procurement of a new recycling and waste collection and street cleaning operator on behalf of their residents.
Since 2017, the four Surrey district and borough councils have been involved in a joint contract for recycling, waste collection and street cleaning services with Amey LG Limited. The joint contract, which is managed by a shared team called Joint Waste Solutions (JWS), expires in June 2027.
The four councils requested JWS to appoint a specialist consultant to assist with the evaluation of the options for delivering household recycling, waste and street cleaning services. The appraisal also considered how these services could be delivered in future to maximise recycling and service reliability and reduce residual waste in rubbish bins.
Having considered the options, the recommendation is to continue to work in partnership and procure a new joint contract for recycling and waste collection services and optionally, street cleaning. If agreed, the procurement process will begin in March to allow for the necessary legal and other considerations ahead of appointing a new provider by June 2026. This will allow for a 12-month period to prepare for mobilisation in June 2027.
All four councils anticipate that even the most cost-effective option will be more expensive than the existing contract and is something that will be taken into consideration in each of their Medium Term Financial Plans.
Councillor Ashley Tilling, Chair of the Joint Waste Collection Services Committee says: “It is crucial that a rigorous procurement process for the appointment of a new provider begins in March. The management of the current contract by JWS demonstrates both the strong partnership between our four councils and the benefits of working together. Residents need a new recycling and waste collections service that is reliable and efficient, regardless of future changes in the local political landscape. The provider will also play an important part in helping us achieve key objectives – namely, collecting an increased amount of food waste and dry mixed recycling and reducing the amount of residual waste in rubbish bins. This ties in with the government’s determination to improve recycling rates around the country. Their Simpler Recycling policies have financial consequences for councils through the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) initiative; this will result in councils being given funding to support recycling efforts.
“In the coming financial year, it is expected that the four councils will receive around £3.9m in funding from EPR but in the future the funding we receive will be linked to our recycling rates – if we do not continue to improve, our funding decreases. As you would expect, we will be assessing the impact of this initiative and working to improve our recycling rates to benefit both council finances and the environment.”
Councillor Morgan Rise, Surrey Heath Borough Council Portfolio Holder for Net Zero, Environment & Leisure says:
“Securing a new waste collection and street cleaning operator in partnership with our district and borough council colleagues is vital to continuing to meet the needs of our residents as well as driving up recycling rates across Surrey Heath where we are one of the top performing authorities in England.
“The current contract, managed by Joint Waste Solutions and running until June 2027, demonstrates the strong collaboration between Surrey Heath, Mole Valley, Elmbridge, and Woking Borough Councils.
“This partnership has been pivotal in delivering high-quality services, and we remain committed to ensuring the next contract maintains and enhances these standards for our community, while delivering value for money”.
The outcome of the council meetings and next steps will be shared regularly with residents via the councils’ communications channels.