115m Waste & Recycling Contract Extension for Biffa in the Wirral

In the North West of England Biffa has secured a long-term £115 million contract extension to its waste and recycling contract with Wirral Council. Biffa Municipal said that under the partnership-based extension it will provide household recycling and refuse collections, as well as street cleansing, for a further ten years from 2017 to 2027. The company, which first began working for Wirral Council in 2006, claimed that the deal will save the local authority around £1 million annually over the next 13 years. Biffa added that its current contract with Wirral Council guarantees savings of £2.2 million over the next three years. However, from 2017-18, Wirral is expected to save £11 million over the ten year span of the extended contract, based on a series of stepped savings equivalent to just over £1million annually. The extension includes a break clause in 2023. Under the contract, Biffa said that it is also targeting recycling improvements by investing in a vehicle fleet that can collect a wider range of recyclable materials from householders, such as food waste. The fleet will utilise in-cab technology for real-time recording and reporting of collections, while garden waste collection vehicles will also feature 360o camera systems for recording the street scene around collections. As part of the new agreement, the company will provide additional seasonal cleansing of the New Brighton sea front within its core contract, and has cut the cost of collecting waste from bulk bins located in the borough’s parks and countryside. A monitoring officer is also to be appointed to track and report contract participation and compliance by both organisations. Negotiations According to Biffa Municipal managing director, Roger Edwards, negotiating the extension took considerable time and effort from both the Council and Biffa, as there was so much at stake. “As a result, Wirral Council and its residents will save nearly £1 in every £10 for their waste service. That’s a substantial amount during this time of austerity measures and squeezed budgets, factors that have demanded decisive action,” he said. The company explained that an earlier Wirral Council report had highlighted Wirral’s ‘strong position’ in delivering overall value for money when compared to other waste collection authorities. Biffa also noted that data published by the Audit Commission indicates that Wirral is already spending £10 less per head of population on environmental services than the average English council. The contract extension means the council will further reduce the cost of waste collection and street cleansing services by £7.27 per household (£3.33 per person) by April 2018. Councillor Bernie Mooney, Wirral’s cabinet member for environment and sustainability, commented: “The council has unprecedented financial reductions to make over the next three years and Biffa has a proven track record of working with us to realise challenging savings in waste collection and street cleansing, with no effect on frontline services. “Extending the contract with the existing provider,” she added, “will guarantee revenue savings over the next three years and avoid future procurement costs of up to £250,000.” Read More Multifuel Energy to Takeover Development of 33 MW Biffa Waste to Energy Plant Biffa has signed an exclusivity agreement under which Multifuel Energy will take over development of Biffa’s planned 33 MW waste to energy facility the former Newhurst Quarry at Shepshed in Leicestershire. Biffa Secures £50m Waste & Recycling Contract in Epping Biffa has won a £50 million ten year recycling, waste collection and street cleaning contract from Epping Forest District Council in Essex. Biffa Secures £70m Contract Extension at Top Recycling Councils Waste and recycling company, Biffa has secured a contract extension from South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils.